


Nein the Mighty Vox Machina

by UndertheBloodMoon



Series: The Threads of Vox Machina: Through the Generations [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Memory Loss, New Family, Other, Platonic Soulmates, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 01:31:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21110483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndertheBloodMoon/pseuds/UndertheBloodMoon
Summary: The Mighty Nein, most younger than they're meant to be, wake up scattered in different parts of Tal'Dorei and taken in by odd characters who call themselves part of a group named Vox Machina. They have no memories past their regressed ages, some in odd situations.As the pieces of their team get brought together, they struggle to figure out why exactly they've been brought together and by whom. While that's happening, they slowly give in to the odd strings that apparently draw them to each other.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The way this goes about is a bit odd. The characters are of different ages, almost plunked out of the timelines that have great significance to their backstories. For example, Caleb is brought in after being in the asylum for a year and Beau had been taken in my the Cobalt Soul for a while as well. It's very scattered and events won't play into canon very well, but hey. 
> 
> Also, I love Cadueces, but I don't really know what to do with him in this story, so he isn't here. Sorry 'bout that.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mighty Nein had just recently rescued their friends and continued the process of mourning their friend Mollymauk as a team. Yasha wasn't with them, sadly, but they decided they should probably carry on and finish Molly's work: Leaving the places they go better than when they found it. 
> 
> After being asked to capture this odd woman with special powers, the Nein seeks her out and tries to confront her. The confrontation doesn't go as they expected.

"I don't know about this one..." Nott fiddled with the stopper on her flask, loosening it before tightening it again and repeating. "We don't know a lot about this lady. Maybe we should research a bit more?" 

"We spent the whole _day_ researching, Nott!" Jester groaned aloud. "It was so _boring!_ Let's just go already, it'll be fun!" 

"What if she kills us?" The little goblin shivered a bit and unscrewed her flask, chugging down some of the contents. "She could probably kill us. Definitely kill us."

"She won't, we're super badass," Jester kept her chin high, her normal grin on her face waning a little bit. "Plus, this is our first group mission without... Molly. Let's make it a good one."

The air around the group grew heavier at the mention of their lost friend. It hadn't been long since Beau, Caleb, and Nott rescued the others from Lorenzo and revealed that Molly hadn't survived. It'd been tough on all of them. The Mighty Nein hasn't been together for long, but they've already been through so much together. It hurt all of them more than they'd ever thought it would to have such a gap in the team now, especially with Yasha retreating into the storm to grieve on her own for who knows how long. She very well may never come back. That was a possibility the Nein didn't want to dwell on.

"Let's get on with it, then," Fjord hit the reins once more and quickened the pace of the horses. Caleb and Nott bumped into each other as the cart jerked and picked up speed. Jester and Beau, both not following far behind, both nudged their horses and had them trot alongside their companions. 

Eventually, the cave they needed to find came into view. Pulling the cart off to the side and tying up the horses, they snuck closer to the entrance, sending Nott inside to look about. When their goblin came back and reported everything to be fine, they all slipped into the darkness of the cave.

The silence made all of them prickle from the anticipation. Surely the cave wasn't completely empty unless they'd missed who they were coming to find. Beau would certainly not be pleased if that was the issue. She'd already gotten antsy enough from the search. Waiting possibly hours for the mystery woman they are meant to capture to show up again wasn't something she'd enjoy too much. 

"Did you not see her at all?" Caleb whispered to Nott, who jumped a little at first at the sound of his voice. "Oh, sorry. But, did you see any evidence that she was even here?"

"N... No..." Nott fiddled with her fingers, nervously. "I don't think so. I just noticed there weren't any traps. I couldn't fully tell if the cave was completely empty or not."

"It better not be fucking empty," Beau growled under her breath.

"Oh, it's not empty," a new voice made them all spin to face different directions, weapons out and bodies tense in preparation of a fight. "Now, children, don't seem so frightened..."

"Show yourself, bitch!" Beau snapped, arms up and at the ready. "We came a long way and we'd like our money!"

"You poor, poor souls..." the voice, unmistakenly female and seemingly sourceless, tutted and cooed at them in what almost sounded like pity. "Children. Lost and outcasted, left to fend for themselves in such a cruel world after finding out just how cruel it can be."

"Whaaat is she talking about?" Jester glanced nervously at her friends, who all either met her gaze or kept searching for the sourceless voice. 

"Just show yourself already!" Beau cried out, frustrated and really not appreciating this random fucker telling her she's some vulnerable kid. 

"You all have had such hard lives... Maybe I can fix you..." the voice seemed to muse as if it was thinking out loud. "Yes, perhaps I can."

"We don't need fixing, thank you very much!" Jester called out, but her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the area around them seemed to instantly fill with this thick smoke or fog. 

"What the hell?!"

"Now what is goin' on here?!" 

"Caleb, where are you, I can't see!"

The Mighty Nein began rushing to hopefully escape the mist or possibly reach one another. Beau searched around for anything that would tell her where the other Nein were. A blue tail, a green blur, a water covered falchion, a dirty brown coat. Anything. But she couldn't. She could only hear their voices, calling out to one another as they scrambled like rats. 

"Caaay-leb!" Jester's voice cried out.

"Jester!" Nott's voice called.

"Nott!" Caleb's voice.

"Beau!" Fjord's voice. 

This is fine. As long as they can hear each other. But, quickly, that comfort was ripped from her as Caleb's calls for his goblin friend were met in silence. Quickly the others began calling for Nott as well, getting no answer. 

_Shit..._ Beau thought to herself as she kept her staff clutched in her hands. _Okay, that's fine. Nott's sneaky. She's probably hiding somewhere or... Something._

"Fjord, are you there?! Caleb?!" Jester was calling out now. Beau began yelling for Jester as Caleb continued yelling for Nott. But wait...

"Fjord, dammit, not you too!" Beau shouted into the foggy abyss. How had they not run into each other yet? There's no way she was running circles around the others and haven't even seen a glimpse of them. "Fjord!"

"Fjord! Nott! Caleb!" 

"Jester! Caleb!" 

"Nott! Jester! Beau!" 

This was beyond disorienting. Hearing the voices of all her friends, but never growing close enough to see them, no matter how far she went. Were they even in a cave anymore? No cave is this large and doesn't seem to have walls! Goddammit... 

"Nott! Fjord! Jester!"

"Jester?" 

Jester's voice didn't answer.

"Ah, fuck, Jester!" Beau began swinging her staff wildly. Desperately. "You fucking bitch, what the hell are you doing?! Caleb, where the fuck are you?!"

...

"Caleb?!"

...

"Fuck!" 

Soon, she felt hands grabbing her. Swinging her staff back, she felt it collide with something, but the grip didn't release. Beau yelled and swung her staff back again, trying to hit whatever was grabbing her, but soon the fog seemed to become denser around her. It traveled into her mouth and up her nose. It clouded her eyes and soon she couldn't scream anymore. Swaying a bit, Beau felt herself slip into unconsciousness. 

"I'll help you, children," the voice whispered in her ear as the tunnels of her vision closed. "A new start is what you need."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I did not like this chapter. I hope it's okay!


	2. One - Caleb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bren Aldric Ermendrud had been in an asylum for a year. He remembers very little about that year. The most he remembers is the dreams he would have, rarely the voices that were outside his own head that spoke to him. When a strange woman pulls him from his house of madness and clears his illness away, he's left to pretty much fend for himself. So, fend for himself he does. Thankfully, soon after, he meets an odd girl who doesn't seem to mind talking to a dirty young man in the middle of the forest, at night.

Bren doesn't remember much about his escape. He barely remembers the small voice of a woman approaching him in his room in the asylum, mainly because he barely remembers _anything_ about the asylum. Everything was a blur of aching sorrow and sickness, phantom flames licking up the sides of his arms and filling his senses with smoke and heat. Screams would echo in his ears and he'd find himself gripping at his hair and arms, often covering his ears to block out the noise only he could hear. 

Bren remembered little about his savior. He vaguely remembers soft touches and whispers, though that wasn't uncommon where he'd lived for a little over a year. He kind of remembers being forced to stand, then everything around him didn't seem solid. When things did become solid again, the fog of madness in his mind faded and things became clear again... _Everything_ became clear. 

The woman didn't seem to notice or maybe just didn't care about the emotions that very clearly swelled inside of him. Fury, guilt, grief, guilt, hate, confusion, _so much guilt-_

"You'll need this," The woman pushed a large bag into his hands. He could barely get a good look at her. Everything felt like it was happening so fast and his mind was still reeling- "It gets cold here at night."

"..._Was?_" he croaked, struggling to force words through his throat. "_wo sind wir?_" 

"And you might want to start speaking Common." With that, the woman blinked and disappeared. Bren was left standing in what he quickly realized to be a forest. Alone. With a bag full of who knows what. 

Wonderful...

•••

The forest was becoming a more comforting place to Bren. He's spent quite a few nights there, surviving with the small tent and bedroll the woman had given him before she left. Building a campfire was easy enough for him, even if using the spell did send him into a little episode that left him shivering almost violently despite the warmth of the fire. He was better once that had passed. All he had to do was keep the fire alive and he wouldn't have to start it again. Bren quickly became a master at caring for a campfire.

The trees that surrounded him were nice. They hid him from people who would stare into his soul with their piercing eyes and see how awful of a person he was. They made sure others wouldn't see him shake and turn away from the campfire that made sure he didn't freeze any more than he already was. He liked being away from people. He liked being by himself... For the most part. Then again, he wasn't sure if he was willing to go out and search for people. Why would he need to when he had Frumpkin?

Bren quickly found out he had the ingredients to cast the _Find Familiar spell_. That along with other random pieces of needed material for other simple spells. He wasn't sure why the woman had given him this, but he didn't take even a moment to question it. He summoned his little cat and almost sobbed as he brought the furry thing into his arms. Bren smelled and was covered in dirt from life in the woods, but Frumpkin didn't care. The cat purred and melted into his embrace, ignoring the wet patches Bren was leaving in his fur. It felt nice to cast a proper spell without flying into a panic attack. Especially when he gets his little buddy back.

Though, part of him wonders if he's truly ever summoned Frumpkin before. Part of him wonders why he immediately knew a name for this little cat - perhaps it's because of his childhood pet, but still, he didn't even need to think about it - and why it didn't take long for him to adjust to having a Fey cat strung across his shoulders and curled around his neck. Despite those feelings bringing solid points up, he washed them away as he breathed in the strange scent of ozone and strangely _home_ that Frumpkin carried.

You don't really expect anyone to be in the forest. That's why Bren was so sure he was safe in these woods, wherever he was. Though those beliefs were fairly quickly shattered when the barrier he placed around his camp, using the twine graciously left for him by his odd savior, gave a small signal in the back of his head and sent him scrambling to his feet to face these intruders. 

"Woah there!" 

Bren quickly came face to face with a young girl, maybe a couple years or so younger than he was. Her raven black hair blended in with the surrounding shadows but her blue eyes were illuminated by the light of the fire. She stood with her hands up in surrender, seemingly surprised by his jump to action.

_Why is she the one surprised?_ He couldn't help but wonder to himself. She _snuck up on_ me...

"Easy, buddy, I'm not looking for trouble. But you are in my forest, so..."

_Her forest? What does that even mean? She's not a nymph, is she? She looks human enough..._

Bren just let out a shaky breath and held his hands out, making what normally is known as a sign of surrender into a more threatening gesture. She only frowned at him, not seeming to be all that phased. Then again, who would be all that frightened by a dirty boy in the woods?

"Are you living here?" the girl stepped forward and knelt down as if she was inspecting his campfire. "I don't know if this little fire is enough. It gets freezing out here."

Oh, Bren's noticed. He was shocked he hasn't gotten frostbite yet. The air turned to mist around him once the sun went down and he'd be left curling in his bedroll, watching with the faint bit of moonlight and the glow from the fire that could reach him from his place in his tent as his breath escaped his lips as a puff of vapor. It made him remember being a child and being fascinated by this phenomenon, prancing around and pretending to be a dragon with smoke coming from his mouth and nose. It wasn't as fun when you didn't have a warm bed to return to, as well as hot chocolate and mother's kisses. 

"Hello? Mister?" 

Bren blinked and narrowed his eyes at the girl who'd looked up at him from her place, knelt in the grass. He frowned at her, wishing he could manage words that would tell her to leave him alone, but he just... Couldn't.

Bren huffed and waved his hand in her direction, almost like swatting at an annoying fly. She just sat there, looking perplexed. He huffed with more frustration and repeated the action, hoping she was smart enough to take a hint.

"You can't speak or something?" she questioned instead, sitting back from the fire and giving him an intrigued look. "Do you speak another language? What language is it? Maybe my parents know how to speak it. They know a lot of weird languages. I only know Common, Elvish, and a little of Abyssal and Celestial. Not enough of the last two to have a normal conversation, though." 

Bren perked up a little. She knew Celestial. Even if it was a little bit, maybe they could piece together some kind of sorry excuse for a sentence that they'll both understand.

"_How much do you understand?_" Bren hesitantly sang in the angelic language. He could swear the girl looked a tiny bit frustrated. He couldn't really blame her. Must not feel great to apparently not properly speak a language the guy you're trying to talk to speaks. Maybe she thinks this is the only language he knows.

"_Little bit..._" she softly sang back, clearly not confident in her ability to speak this language. "Like I said, not a lot. Do you only speak Celestial?"

"_No, but for now, yes._" he says, settling back in a slightly less tense position, still standing and staring his girl down. 

"_Don't know..._" the girl hesitated before shaking her head. "I don't have to do this, you know what I'm saying- Oh! You have a cat!" 

Bren turned to see Frumpkin peering out of the tent, the cat's eyes narrowed at the girl in a judging fashion. The strange girl smiled and looked over the cat once more before looking up at Bren again.

"Does he have a name?" 

_His name is Frumpkin..._ Bren wanted to say, but he just couldn't say that. The words wouldn't come. He hasn't had to speak to someone in so long. He hasn't had to speak at all in so long. So, Bren opted to just shake his head. She wasn't staying around long anyway.

"He's so cute..." the girl tapped the grass next to her, further away from the fire and began making kissy-noises. 

Frumpkin, being the affectionate cat he was, didn't seem to mind the strange girl all that much after a brief examination. The cat looked at Bren for a moment and scampered into the girl's lap after a small mental urging from his human, letting him know it was fine. The girl clearly didn't live off the forest like Bren was. She was healthy and clean. She probably lived in the town nearby. She was probably the reason the woman had told Bren to start speaking more Common. 

"Oooh, you're so sweet! Are you protecting this guy, little buddy?" the girl scritched underneath Frumpkin's chin and stroke down his back. The cat immediately began purring and leaning into her touch, tail curling around her hand whenever it drew near. "You seem a _lot_ cleaner than your owner..."

_Well, he's a fey creature..._ Bren wanted to grumble, but just settled for a soft huff and sat down where he stood, opposite to the girl with the fire separating them. 

"Well, Cat-Man, do you have a real name or do I have to just call you that?" the girl looked up from where she was showering Frumpkin with scratches and pets, her face even more illuminated by the flames. 

Bren tensed a little, his brain seeming to race and draw a blank at the same time, somehow. He didn't want to tell this girl his real name. Technically, he didn't have to. But technically, he had no reason to worry about her knowing his true name to begin with. Based on her voice, she seemed to have been born here or lived long enough on this side of Exandria, since Bren was certain this wasn't Wildemont. She wouldn't know about the Empire or the Academy. It's not like a lot of people of the Empire would know him either.

Still, introducing himself as "Bren" didn't feel right either. Bren was charming. Bren was confident with his powers. Bren was proud of his work at the Academy. Bren loved his parents and would have gone to the end of the earth to protect them.

He wasn't Bren any longer. Bren was a good person. 

"No? Cat-Man it is then?" she tilted her head slightly, seemingly puzzled by his consistent silence. "Can you say it in Celestial? I think I'll understand."

_Tell her a name, dammit..._ He mentally scolded himself. _It doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to be fancy. Just something you can remember. Something you can respond to._

Bren tugged lightly at his sleeves, humming thoughtfully in hopes that she'd think he was trying to figure out how to tell her his name instead of trying to figure out a name he could tell her. He pressed through his memories of people and names, deciding to just pick one he liked. Any name he liked... Then one came.

"_... C-A-L-E-B..._"

The girl frowned for a moment. "Uh... C...? C...a...l...e...b... Caleb? Your name is Caleb?"

_It is now..._ Bren figured. He had no idea where the name came from, but apparently, he's heard it somewhere. It felt familiar enough, he could learn to respond to it as easily as if it was his own.

Maybe that was for the best. He could be Caleb. Caleb was not Bren. Caleb killed people, killed his parents, and abandoned his friends who were in a bad position as well, even if they didn't know it yet. Caleb was dirty and lonely, content with spending his time surrounded by trees with a fey creature in the form of a cat. Caleb shuddered at the sight of th fire that currently kept him alive and spent ten minutes every night making sure his home out in the wild was safe rather than doing the smart thing and going into the town. Caleb had nightmares about flames and screams, images and events that sadly weren't cleared away when the madness was taken from him.

Caleb wasn't Bren. So maybe he'll stick to being Caleb from now on. 

"Hi, Caleb!" the girl chirped, pulling in from his dark thoughts. She'd somehow moved up beside him without him having realized, which threw him off a bit. Still, she held one hand out while the other arm cradled Frumpkin to her chest, who was still purring contently. Caleb shrunk back a little, unsure if he wanted to touch her, but she quickly made that decision for him and grabbed his hand, shaking it without waiting for him to even return the grip. "My name's Vesper. Vesper Elaine de Rolo."


	3. Two - Whitestone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb and Vesper start to develop some small friendship as a week or so passes. Vesper seems perfectly content with letting Caleb live his life in the forest, visiting him to keep him company and bringing needed supplies when it seems like he's running low. Though Caleb still hasn't managed to speak all that much just yet, the two get along fairly well.
> 
> Though, an unforeseen event leads Vesper to (quite literally) drag Caleb back to her home and meet her family properly.

Vesper was an interesting little character. She always seemed to have free time. Though it was mostly at different points of the day and night, Vesper always managed to show up before midnight. Sometimes she brought food, sometimes she brought other little bits of supplies to make him more comfortable. Sometimes she simply came with herself and odd little stories about what she'd done before coming to see him. He still couldn't bring himself to speak to her, but he made his thanks obvious in ways she seemed to understand. The company was surprisingly nice. 

Vesper didn't tell very specific details about her family. All Caleb knew was that she had a human father and a half-elven mother, which Caleb had already figured seeing her hair was always pulled up out of her face and it made the slightly odd shape of her ears visible. He also knew she had four other siblings, two of whom were twin brother and sister. He knew she had an aunt from her father's side, a late uncle from her mother's side that she never met, and an odd group of aunts and uncles who were apparently just very good friends with both her parents. 

The girl was unafraid of announcing her elven blood and almost challenged him while she was talking about it. Thankfully when she realized he didn't have an issue with it, she went back to the friendly kid she always seemed to be. She spoke eagerly about her parents, talking about how smart her father was and how skilled her mother was with a bow. She would often fall into talking about her group of aunts and uncles who apparently seemed to live all over Tal'Dorei (which is the continent Caleb thankfully learned they were on eventually, though being brought so far from home was both terrifying and comforting) and were powerful heroes in their own right. Caleb wasn't sure if she was making all this up or not. He's never heard of people so odd yet so respected. Usually, oddity brought you unwanted attention. 

"I'm named after people in my family, you know," Vesper sat at his fire once again one night, petting a sleepy Frumpkin who'd sprawled himself across her lap. "Vesper was my father's sister's name. Elaina was my maternal grandmother's name. They both died long before I was born, though."

Caleb gave her a slightly sad look, which she quickly interpreted and waved in dismissal to.

"It's fine, I'm just saying," she scritched behind one of Frumpkin's ears, smiling a bit more as the cat rumbled in pleasure. "All my siblings are named after family members. It's a thing in my father's family that they wanted to honor. Like my brother is named after my father, but we call him by a nickname taken from one of his middle names so the adults don't get confused."

Caleb hummed softly, the closest thing she's gotten to laughter from him. She found it a bit frustrating, but she took what she could get.

"Does your name have any significance?" Vesper turned and looked to him.

Caleb quickly shook his head. It must be cool to have a history behind your name. He wasn't sure if his birth name had any special meaning. He never asked. The name 'Caleb' certainly had no meaning to it. He might as well had picked a name from a hat and claimed it as his own. Caleb himself wasn't special, so why should the name be? 

"Just a name?" Vesper didn't seem to think much of his reaction, thankfully. "That's okay. It's not all great being named after someone. Sometimes I feel like I have to surpass my namesake or else I'll only be known as a Jr. My parents always tell us we're our own people, part of the reason why we call Ollie... Ollie. I don't have to be like my aunt Vesper because I'm not. My brother doesn't have to be like my dad because he's not. We all know that."

_She has a good family..._ Caleb couldn't help but be slightly jealous. Not that he didn't have a good family. His parents were wonderful. Hence why he knows he's such a terrible person for killing them.

"Are you okay, Mr. Caleb?" Vesper looked to him again, her head slightly tilted. 

Caleb blinked, feeling a familiar odd sensation. Déjà vu, perhaps. She took to calling him that a day or so after they'd first met. He has no idea when, but he's heard people call him that before. Maybe he was just confused. And tired. He was very often both. 

He simply nodded to ease her nerves. She smiled and looked to the sky, noticing it was getting closer to the point at night where she gave in and went back home. Caleb knew it to be somewhere near 11:30 at night. She gently lifted Frumpkin from her lap and placed him in Caleb's arms before standing and dusting the dirt from her pants.

"Well, goodnight then, Mr. Caleb," she smiled at him, not truly getting a smile in return but having learned to be satisfied with a small wave. "See you tomorrow. Stay safe. It's late. It's cold. Don't die."

Caleb hummed his odd, weak amusement again. She told him this every time she left for the night. He nodded and gave her a small wave again before she disappeared into the trees. 

He really wished he could have obeyed her words a little better.

•••

"... Caleb...? Caleb...!"

Caleb had thought it was a dream, at first. The creature attacking him, leaving him to bleed out as he murmured soft words and lullabies to himself in Zemnien to try and soothe his racing heart. He found himself so tired and in pain that he'd just hoped going to sleep would fix everything. He didn't expect the voice calling and pulling him from the darkness, nor the odd warmth that flowed into his body and washed the pain away. Opening his eyes, sky met with ice as he recognized the face after a moment of confusion.

Little Miss Vesper Elaina de Rolo.

"I knew I should have told someone..." she huffed and tugged at his coat, which he now noticed was opened a bit, probably in an effort to get to his wounds. "I knew you wouldn't be fine here in the dark. _I'm_ not even fine when it gets dark!"

Caleb opened his mouth, wanting to speak, wanting to tell her he was fine and didn't need to be fussed over, but all that left him was a weak groan of pain.

"Did the Render attack you?" Vesper continued on and he felt her hand search his body for more wounds. "I forgot if Mom got rid of the parent _and_ the child or just the parent..." 

"Ow..." Caleb squirmed as she pressed down on a bruise, but warmth immediately soothed the ache.

"Hey, you spoke! That was kinda a word!" she smiled as she continued to press against his aching muscles and flesh. "Don't worry, I'm just healing you." 

Vesper tugged his coat further open. Caleb was thankfully too exhausted and disoriented to even be embarrassed. 

"My aunt is so much better at this, but she's still in Westruun, and you looked like you needed help fast." The girl tugged his shirt up and pulled him onto his side to get a better view as she searched for more injuries. She was stronger than she looked. Caleb may be thin for a young man his age, but he was still bigger than her. She lugged him around with almost no effort.

Caleb huffed a bit and allowed it. He barely remembered the events of the previous night, but part of him has a coiling feeling of dread that told him he probably needed a bit of money before he could get Frumpkin back. What the hell was a "Render" anyway?

"I was a bit worried..." her voice had eased a bit to a softer tone, seeming to sense he was questioning how she even knew he was in trouble. "It didn't feel right leaving you out here every night. Now I know why! Thank Pelor I came to check!"

Caleb groaned as she pressed almost unnecessarily hard on another sore spot. 

"You're a lucky boy!" she smiled, finally tugging his coat shut again. "Now, I'm not a great healer. I mainly just stopped the bleeding of the open wounds and eased the bruising. I'm definitely bringing you back this time."

Caleb looked at her like she was insane. He grunted and shook his head, trying to shuffle away from her but was quickly stopped as she latched onto him.

"Ah, I'm not asking, Mr. Caleb! I'm telling!" she hauled him up and ignored his groans of protest. Caleb was once again a bit surprised she was able to hold his weight so effortlessly as she began nearly dragging him in the direction of town. "Come on, don't be a baby. I highly doubt we'll be able to get my aunt here, but my mom can heal too." 

Caleb let out a soft groan, trying to wiggle out of her grip. She was about up to his shoulder in height, but gods above, she was strong...

"I hope you don't mind getting flowers braided in your hair because Johanna does that."

Johanna, her youngest sister, and sibling. He huffed a bit at the thought of a five-year-old tugging and braiding things in his hair. He hasn't dealt with a small child in a long time. He wasn't great at it then and he highly doubted that changed at all.

"Julia might size you up a bit, but as long as you're nice to Ollie you'll be fine."

Caleb rolled his eyes a bit. He's heard all the stories about the twins. Julia sounded... Lovely. He grunted and tried to pull away from her again, but she held firm.

"Greg might think you're cute, I will admit."

Caleb shook his head silently, struggling wasn't worth it anymore. He half-listened to Vesper as she rambled and focused more on being helpful with the walk. No use fighting her. 

He did spare a small glance at his camp as they were walking. It was... Pretty destroyer. The tent was crumpled on the ground, most likely torn in several places. Anything he had that was inside the tent was thrown about. His campfire was only a few mere embers at this point, but it looked like something had stepped in it, possibly his attacker. 

He winced a bit, half from the sight and another half from knowing his own body was almost as destroyed. He'll probably have to come back for what remained later. He turned back and looked to Vesper, who was still chattering happily as they made their way through the forest.

•••

The town of Whitestone quickly came into view. The sound of civilization filled his ears and mind. He wasn't sure if he missed it.

"Almost there," Vesper muttered to him as she helped him limp out of the woods and into the fields. People glanced and their gazes lingered for a split second too long than Caleb would prefer. He kept his head down and leaned against her a bit more. "Oof, hey, it's okay, we're almost there."

"Lady Vesper!" 

Caleb's head snapped up as a form in armor rushed towards them. He tensed and squirmed in Vesper's grasp, but she still held on tight. He looked at her with wide, questioning eyes, but she just smiled at the approaching guard.

_LADY Vesper?!_ He wanted to shout at her, but the words only came from his throat as a strained whine. 

"Hi, Maddox!" Vesper called to the guard as he stopped short in front of them, the poor man out of breath. "I kinda have to hurry up and get home, so can we continue this conversation later?"

"I... Who's this?" Maddox turned his attention to Caleb, who ducked his head as much as he could, feeling horribly exposed. 

"My friend," Vesper replied smoothly. "He was attacked in the forest and I want my mother to see him. You can go on." 

With that, the teen dragged him off towards the large castle of Whitestone. Caleb could barely breathe. He'd been talking to someone of noble blood this entire time? Why would a girl of her lineage be anywhere near the woods, much less out there alone? That only means her parents are the lord and lady. Oh gods, she was taking his bloody and dirty form into a castle. 

"Don't worry so much," Vesper whispered to him as they grew closer. "I told you my parents have been on all sorts of adventures. They've met people like you and _been_ like you plenty of times. They're amazing, I promise."

Caleb let out a shaky breath but allowed himself to be dragged some more. He tried to shift his weight back onto his own legs, trying to have a little dignity, but it seemed that dignity ached like a sprained ankle and he wasn't sure if he wanted it anymore.

The pair were met with many servants as they traveled through the castle. Many of them gave Caleb looks that spoke what was going on through his own mind. _What the hell is this dirty hobo doing with a girl like her?_ He wished he could tell them he's just as confused as they were.

Vesper told the first of the servants to summon her parents into the sitting area while she quickly dismissed the others. Despite her splintered hands and dirty pants, he was starting to see the nobility in her. It kind of made him uncomfortable. He'd taken a liking to the odd little girl who pestered him and kept him company despite not knowing who the hell he was. This girl seemed different. 

Caleb quickly found himself sitting on a couch, wincing slightly. She somehow managed to pull the coat from around his shoulders and revealed the dirty, torn, bloodstained tunic he wore underneath. She folded the filthy covering and set it on a random chair before sitting down beside him.

"So... This is where I live..." Vesper attempted small talk after a moment of awkward silence.

Caleb gave her a look that made her wince.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you!" she read his mind, jumping to her own defense. "You just... Didn't need to know! Why did it matter?"

Caleb gave her another look that universally stated: "Are you fucking kidding me?" 

"Okay okay!" she had become too good at reading his thoughts through his facial expressions. "Maybe it would have been nice to know, but it doesn't make me any different! You would have just been afraid of me. I hate that. We're friends and I love that we're friends, so I won't apologize for not taking a road that would have probably prevented this friendship."

Caleb sighed softly and rubbed his face, leaning back against the cushions of the couch. It'd been a while since he's sat on such nice furniture. It'd been a while since he's sat on any furniture. 

"Plus, everything I said about my family was true!" Vesper went on. "My parents are great and my siblings are insane. I have a group of aunts and uncles that used to go on adventures with my parents and they're great. That's all true. I promise. You'll see for yourself once my parents get here-"

Speak of a devil and it shall appear. The doors to the sitting room opened and two figures stepped inside. 

One was a half-elven woman with raven hair and sharp features. She was very pretty. Caleb quickly realized where Vesper got her looks from.

Only slightly behind her was a human man. The white hair threw Caleb off a bit. The man didn't seem that old at all. He seemed barely old enough to be Caleb's father. When he locked eyes with the man, he saw Vesper's eyes. 

"Vesper, darling, who's this?" the woman stepped forward, her accent sweet and quite foreign to what Caleb was used to, though it wasn't not similar to Vesper's way of speech. "Is that blood on him? Is he hurt?"

"Hi, Mom!" Vesper stood and embraced her mother before gesturing towards Caleb. "This is Caleb. I found him in the woods. I think the Render attacked him."

The woman's eyes widened and at first, Caleb wasn't sure if it was about this "Render" creature or the fact her daughter brought a random man from the forest into their home. The woman quickly answered this question, but not in the way he'd expected.

"The Render? Oh, my, I'm so sorry darling," the woman quickly took his arms and touched his face, inspecting him. "He doesn't look that bad, though..."

"I healed him a bit before we got here," Vesper had moved on and hugged her father, who had only pulled his attention away from Caleb to look fondly down at his daughter. "Be nice, I told him you were cool."

"Oh, come on, dear, we're very cool," the man finally spoke, prompting Vesper to roll her eyes playfully.

"So you're Caleb, dear?" the lady of Whitestone gently prodded at his sides were the bloodstains were, making Caleb glad Vesper had already healed them. 

"He doesn't speak," Vesper returned to her place sitting next to him, which eased Caleb's nerves a little bit. "Well, he doesn't speak _Common_. I heard him speak Celestial and... Something else."

"Celestial?" the man seemed to take a more thoughtful look. Caleb did recall Vesper mentioning her father spoke Celestial.

"Well, that's alright, you don't have to speak much anyway," The lady pulled back a little when he flinched at a spot she placed pressure on, discovering somewhere Vesper hadn't gotten the chance to properly heal. "You can call me Vex'ahlia, dear. Or Vex, if you'd like. And that over there is my husband, Percival, or Percy."

Caleb gave a respectful little nod, which Vesper chimed in and stated "I think that means 'Hello'. Or 'It's nice to meet you'. We've gotten good at talking to each other."

Vex chuckled and Percy gave a small smile. Caleb felt his nerves ease a bit, then even more as a similar warmth that flowed from Vesper while she was healing him spread through Caleb. No offense to his friend, but Lady Vex'ahlia was definitely a much better healer. With a soft sigh, Caleb didn't even realize he was giving the 'Thank you' look until Vesper translated.

"Of course, darling," Vex gently patted his cheek, her smile warm. Her motherly side was beginning to show. Or perhaps she was always like this. It seemed so natural rather than a learned thing. "Come, let's get you checked over by people who are more... Professional." 

"Yes, definitely," Percy stepped out of the room and summoned one of the nearby servants, asking them to fetch a cleric. Once the servant had disappeared, he turned back to Caleb with a smile. "Let's get you somewhere more... Comfortable, shall we?"

Vesper immediately jumped to the task of helping him stand, which he was slightly thankfully for and slightly embarrassed at the same time. He figured falling on his face would be more embarrassing, so he didn't even consider struggling against her. 

"Welcome to Whitestone," Vesper whispered and grinned at him as she began leading him out of the sitting room and into a hallway. "I told you they were great."


	4. Three - Speaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Caleb struggles to get used to the finer things in life, a couple of the de Rolo children get a bit curious about the new guy staying with them for a little while. After that, Vesper and Caleb have a chat that's a little more than Vesper just rambling on for hours as always.

Caleb had no clue what to think of the castle of Whitestone. It was large, it was undeniably beautiful. It was way too good to be tainted by his presence. Caleb felt so wrong letting his dirty shoes touch the polished floors and he almost launched himself off the bed like it'd burned him because he didn't want his filthy body touching the lovely sheets. He struggled to force these feelings down now that Vesper had gotten so good at reading him, but it was truly a struggle. 

A cleric had come and checked over his wounds, healing the aches and the open gashes, as well as his ankle. A tub filled with hot water was brought in the room as well, the servants leaving him to clean himself in private. Caleb was definitely eager to finally clean the dirt off his skin that he'd forced himself to bear with but was very adamant about having the coat his mystery savior had given him before she disappeared washed rather than replaced. He still had no idea how he managed to make Vesper understand his wants enough so that he could tell the servants, but it happened. The folks seemed confused but listened to Vesper nonetheless. 

After he'd cleaned up and he, begrudgingly, put on the light clothing the servants provided. The fabric was so nice and soft. He felt like he was tarnishing this lovely clothing by putting it on his body, but it had been something Vesper, unfortunately, put her foot down about. 

"You're not wearing rags while you live under the roof of the de Rolos," she'd stated, shoving the clothes back into his arms and leaving the room to let him change in... Semi peace. She still called to him through the door until he let her in and revealed he'd actually put the clothes on. Then, and only then, was she finally satisfied. "You can nap if you want. I remember hearing from my Auntie Pike that blood loss usually makes you tired."

_I'm never going to get used to how many aunts and uncles she has..._ Caleb shook his head as he let the door click shut behind him. He wanted to say he didn't remember which one "Auntie Pike" was, but she'd told him once, and that was enough. 

Pike Trickfoot, Champion of the Everlight, member of Vox Machina, wife of Scanlan Shorthalt. 

Caleb knew every member of Vox Machina. He just hadn't met them all yet. The thought of meeting them made him extremely nervous. These people were heroes to millions, most of them trusted by various gods. Titles and honors like that don't come easy. Vesper talks of them with such high regard, but that didn't ease Caleb's nerves all that much. They _knew_ Vesper. They didn't know him. If they truly knew him, they'd all have him slaughtered like the members of the Chroma Conclave, five dragons that attacked Emon once upon a time in a story Caleb had heard of from Vesper. 

_Maybe they never have to know..._ He carefully lowered himself onto the bed as if his thin form would break it. _Maybe I just won't tell them..._

Part of him had wanted to just take the sheets and sleep on the floor, but he'd feel bad for putting them on the ground, despite how clean they kept it. The quilts were worth enough gold to buy five of his childhood homes. So, Caleb simply pulled the quilts away and laid on the sheet that covered the mattress. The bed was nicer than anything he's ever laid on. He knows that because he barely remembers even trying to fall asleep after laying down.

•••

There were very few nights since leaving the asylum that Caleb can truthfully say he slept fine. Usually, some nightmares or night terrors haunt him, leaving him even more exhausted or with some feeling of dread that next morning that completely ruins the waking experience if he did manage to sleep the whole night. 

This night... Was the best sleep he's ever had.

Caleb's mind woke and his senses returned to him slowly, as any morning should be, and he was fairly surprised when he didn't feel dried sweat clinging to him from underneath his clothing. It was an unpleasant sensation, yet one he was used to. 

The next thing he quickly noticed was a soft voice and the feelings of fingers through his hair.

Caleb didn't recognize the voice nor the fingers, which made him a bit nervous. But the only reason he didn't jump up and rip himself away from the mystery person was because the voice puzzled him. It was singing.

"From your head, down to your toes... You're not much, goodness knows..."

The voice was soft and fairly childish, which puzzled him the most. Where did this child come from and why were they singing to him? And what were they doing to his head, because it felt like more than just stroking it?

The voice suddenly stopped singing and it went silent. Finally, after a moment, it whispered: "Are you awake?"

He must have given himself away somehow. Or perhaps this girl was just good at telling true sleeping from fake sleeping. 

Finding it pointless to continue the act, Caleb opened his eyes and blinked, blearily. He immediately locked eyes with a little girl, like he was expecting. 

"Hi," the girl's whispering voice was exaggerated, a grin spreading across her face. "My name's Johanna. Mommy told me not to bother you, but you were talking in your sleep like Daddy does when he has a nightmare." 

_When_ Daddy _has a nightmare...?_ Caleb frowned to himself. _If this is Vesper's Johanna then she must be talking about Lord Percival..._

"Do you want me to stop braiding your hair now that you're awake?" the little girl continued on. 

Caleb took a moment to look her over. She had her mother's hazel eyes and dark hair that fell over them both like a curtain as she leaned over to talk to him. Her hair was in many little braids, each a bit thick with what looked like ribbons and feathers braided into them. The ends gently tapped his cheeks every once in a while. Her skin and facial structure reminded him of more of a feminine Percival. While Vesper took after her mother, this child looked like her father despite the more prominent features, such as the eyes and the hair. 

"Oh, Mommy did say you couldn't speak Common..." Johanna frowned and pulled back a bit.

Caleb gave a soft sigh and reached, guiding the girl's hands back to his hair.

"Does this mean I can keep going?" Johanna visibly and audibly brightened. She immediately weaved her fingers back into his red hair once he gave a small nod, picking up the song where she'd stopped as well. "All of those people who scold you... What they'd give just for the right to hold you..."

Caleb wasn't familiar with the song, but it was nice. He found himself drifting into a more half-asleep state for gods know how long before the sound of an opening door startled him awake again.

"Jo!" another new voice caught his attention and Caleb looked over to find a boy standing there. He was younger than Caleb but older than Johanna still. "Didn't Mom tell you not to bother him?!"

"I'm not bothering him!" Johanna snapped back. "He was having a bad dream so I was helping him!" 

The boy had Percival's icy blue eyes, as Vesper did, but with dark brown hair instead of black. His hair wasn't that long, only covering the nape of his neck, barely long enough to tie up. The elvish descent was obvious in Vex'ahlia from what Caleb saw and apparently, more of that had transferred to this boy than it had to Vesper and Johanna both. 

"I'm sorry, sir," the boy hesitated a bit when he noticed Caleb was awake. "I'll... Make her leave."

"Try me!" Johanna challenged, making Caleb's lips twitch in what was almost a smile. "He told me I can stay here."

"He can't speak Common."

"He gets what I'm saying! How else was Vesper able to talk to him? She barely knows Elvish!" 

Caleb sighed softly and sat up. He felt something come undone in his hair, but he reached up and felt what had seemed to remain. She has been making small braids in his hair, which made sense seeing that his hair wasn't super long to begin with. He glanced at Johanna and gave a soft smile, earning a rather large grin in return.

"See! He likes it!" Johanna boasted loudly, surging forward and wrapping her arms around his larger one. "We're best friends now."

"Uh-huh..." the boy arched an eyebrow at her and looked back at Caleb. "Sorry if she did bother you, even a little. I'm sure she told you her name. My name's Gregory but everyone calls me Greg. Vesper's our older sister." 

Caleb knew them. Vesper had mentioned all her siblings many times.

With Greg, he knew: _"He's like our Uncle Scanlan but taller and less vulgar. He says after seeing everything our Uncle can do, he wants to be a bard like him. Or maybe just a wizard. He's dumb, but he really likes magic. I mean, who doesn't? I just hope he won't be more of a little shit if he learns."_

With Johanna, he knew: _"Our Mom kept losing pregnancies before Johanna was born. It was really hard on her. When she got pregnant with Johanna, we didn't think it would last. But, clearly, it did. So she's really important to all of us. Julia braids her hair whenever she wants and Julia doesn't even braid her own hair."_

Caleb wished he could tell them these things, possibly confirm them or just let them know they didn't have to go through the trouble of introducing themselves to someone who practically knew them at this point. But words still didn't come to him. He hasn't spoken Common in so long. It made him think of the Academy and Ikithon and then that churning feeling in his gut would start and wouldn't stop for a long time. So he just decided not to speak Common.

Instead, Caleb gives a small nod. He wasn't sure if it was taken as simply understanding or a sign that he already knew, which he hoped. Greg didn't give any hints about which side he went for. 

"And I heard that your name is Caleb," Greg stepped over to Johanna, who seemed to know whatever was being planned and began curling closer to the red-haired boy. Greg looked a bit exasperated, but his voice carried on without an issue. "Welcome to Whitestone. Vesper always brings strays back to the house, but never human ones."

Caleb gave his weak hum, his sorry excuse for laughter, and tugged gently at his sleeve. It'd been a while since he looked down at himself and didn't see dirt smears and grass stains. It felt wonderful to have bathed, but it felt so odd to be wearing something so nice, even if it was only meant to be sleepwear. 

"What do you speak instead of Common?" Johanna pressed her cheek against his thin arm, looking up at him with the wide eyes only a child could bear. "Like, all the time?"

Caleb hesitated a bit. He quickly realized he hadn't spoken Zemnian out loud to anyone in forever. The few times he did speak his mother-tongue it mostly was just muttered to himself or to Frumpkin. He didn't see why it would be necessary to talk to Vesper in it since she couldn't understand and now awkwardness and wariness alone was keeping him mute. Maybe he could speak a few words. Maybe someone here spoke the language. He highly doubted it, though. Not many languages travel outside their origin country. It was possibly worth a shot.

"_Zemnian,_" He spoke softly, then cough. His voice was hoarse and dry from disuse and it kind of hurt his throat a little. Greg seemed fairly shocked while Johanna seemed curious. No recognition so far, unfortunately. "_Es ist hier wahrscheinlich nicht gut bekannt._" 

"Huh..." Greg's face shifted from shock to more confusion yet with hints of curiosity. "Never heard of that before. I keep forgetting Common isn't always the... Common language in some places."

"You said Common twice!" Johanna piped up, her silliness easing some of the heavy disappointment. "You said it two times!"

"I did," Greg smiled and stepped forward, effortlessly scooping the little girl up despite her whines of protest. "Now let's leave Mr. Caleb alone, okay?"

"But-"

"We'll get Julia to put new flowers in your hair."

That must have done it because Johanna eagerly waved Caleb goodbye as Greg tossed one out aloud and fussed no more as her brother carried her out the room, the door shutting behind them.

•••

"So, you met with Greg and Jo."

Some hours had passed and Vesper had brought Caleb some of their lunch. Caleb still felt much too awkward being there to begin with and couldn't build up the courage to eat at the table with the rest of them. He'd feel too trapped there, surrounded by people he didn't know in their home and eating their food. He wouldn't have much of an appetite and that would leave him just sitting there, looking ungrateful. Thankfully Vex'ahlia and Percival are surprisingly understanding.

Vesper sat cross-legged on the bed in the room Caleb was given, eating her own plate of food while Caleb nibbled at his own. She was in more comfortable wear and her hair was loose, tumbling down her shoulders. She was pretty. Caleb figured he would have probably thought more of her if she wasn't so much younger than him. At least, he figured he would. The thought of having a crush on her was disturbing to him, but he wasn't sure if it was just the age difference. 

Caleb nodded along with whatever she was saying, leaning against the wall that the bed was pushed against. He still couldn't process his situation well. He'd been accepted into the home of a lord after having met and spent time with the daughter of said lord unknowingly for a few days. He wasn't sure how he felt about it, exactly. He was grateful, of course, but he didn't deserve this. They'd probably have him killed if they found out the true him. 

The Lord and Lady would stare at him in disgust before sending the guards after him. 

Little Johanna would stare at him, probably fearful. She wouldn't understand. 

Gregory would hold his dear little sister close, possibly horrified by the fact that Caleb had been anywhere near such a precious part of their family.

And Vesper... Miss Vesper would probably just look hurt. So hurt. Hurt in a way that cut deep and wouldn't go away. Vesper was oddly attached to him. Caleb could tell. He could see it in her eyes. He'd gotten himself attached to someone like that. That hurt never goes away. And he'd been the one to burden her with it. 

Caleb blinked rapidly as a fork poked him in the cheek. 

"Hello? Are you spacing out, Mr. Caleb?" Vesper gave a small half-smile, a signature look for her. "You always do this."

Caleb hummed softly and gave an apologetic smile that was just barely there. Vesper saw it, of course she did, and leaned back, satisfied. 

"Anyway," she went on, piercing the meat on her plate with her fork. "I heard you spoke for them."

Caleb blinked, seemingly confused.

"You spoke for them," Vesper seemed almost... Upset? Was that upset? He couldn't tell with the way she was facing half away from him, her loose hair covering her face and hiding her features. Her tone sounded foreign and wrong coming from her. "You spoke for them and you've only known them for today."

_Is she actually upset? Oh, fuck..._

"I've only heard you speak Celestial... And that was only that once. What's that about? I bring you home and you suddenly like my siblings more than me?"

"Vesper..." Caleb managed to croak out, panic rising in his chest. He hadn't thought much when he spoke to them in Zemnian. They couldn't understand what he was saying anyway. He didn't think it'd mean that much. He's barely known her for more than a week. "I am sorry..."

Vesper's head snapped to face him, eyes wide. Any sign of sadness was gone. She just seemed shocked for a moment.

"I... I was kidding..." she muttered, sounding breathless. "I'm sorry, I joke like that with my family all the time, I- holy shit, you actually _can_ speak Common?!"

Caleb stared at her before turning away, feeling his face burn. Of course she was kidding. A fake guilt trip is the oldest trick in the book. 

"Sorry..." he murmured, stiffening when hands grabbed him.

"Holy shit, Caleb, were you always able to speak Common?!" Vesper seemed so excited all of a sudden, rather than upset as he'd expected. "Why haven't you been doing that this whole time?!" 

Caleb sputtered a bit and pushed his food to the side so it wasn't knocked over by the harsh movements Vesper was making. "Not... Good... At it..." 

"Oh..." Vesper eased a bit, but her eyes kept glittering. "Oh, you don't speak it often, huh? Well, still! You spoke! You said a word! You said, like, ten words! That's ten more words in Common than I ever heard you say!"

Caleb cleared his throat awkwardly, scratching his head a bit. Everything flipped way too quickly. Vesper was too good of an actress. Then again, she did have four other siblings. Perhaps pretending came in handy with a large family. Not that Caleb would know.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Vesper picked up on his insecurity that he's been trying to hide by distracting his thoughts on his own. Of course she caught it. She always does. "We'll work on it. But that was really cool."

Caleb gave her a short glance before turning his head away again, hiding his heated face. As Vesper squeezed his bicep, he reached and laid his hand over hers. 

"Th... Thank you..." he murmured, earning a gleeful giggle and two arms embracing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, not the best way to end it, but I felt like this was long enough already. Hope it's alright!


	5. Four - Hidden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb slowly begins to peek out of his shell. He begins speaking more and spending time with the de Rolo children, slowly letting himself enjoy the nice situation he was in. He even slowly began some sort of spark of a relationship with the Lord and Lady of Whitestone themselves. 
> 
> While all seems well for Caleb, we haven't seen the last of the mysterious woman who brought him there to begin with.

Slowly, Caleb continued to speak Common for the next several days. It was odd. His mother tongue was naturally so harsh and rigid. The Common language seemed to flow so nicely from those who were fluent and it always came out rough and stumbled clumsily out of his mouth. Still, Vesper always seemed so excited when he spoke it. She gushed and grinned whenever he verbally answered her, always so very happy.

"We can talk now!" she'd said that next morning when she remembered he was actually working on speaking to her. "Like, _talk_ talk! Not like before, when it'd just be me. This is great!"

So Caleb continued speaking. He'd practice with whoever entered his room, even if it made his anxiety prickle up his spine. He spoke to Johanna as she snuck in to braid his hair. He spoke to Gregory who'd usually end up prying the little girl away from him. He spoke to Percival and Vex'ahlia, who came in to check on him sometimes when they weren't busy doing what lords do. 

He even had a chance to speak with the "famous" twins of the family. They were exactly like Vesper described. So different personality-wise from each other yet so very close. Ollie, as the boy firmly made sure Caleb referred to him as, had been the first to draw close to Caleb with Julia lurking over her brother's shoulder, giving Caleb a nasty challenging glare. The girl seemed to loosen up as Ollie and Caleb chatted, mainly since Ollie seemed so oddly fascinated by Caleb and Caleb wasn't being rude in any way. 

Caleb quickly found out Julia barely called her brother "Ollie". She did, but she also had some sort of list of nicknames. All of which the poor boy seemed to hate. There were Olls, Ollie-Dollie, Olive, Oll-Ball, and Ollie-oop (which was the one that Ollie seemed to hate the most). 

It was strangely endearing to see them together. They seemed to hate each other, as siblings do, but you could tell they didn't. Julia would randomly reach and tuck some of Ollie's hair behind his ear, revealing its tampered form. Ollie's body would subconsciously shift and lean closer to his sister, seeking her presence. It was adorable and made Caleb a bit sad he'd grown up as an only child himself. 

Mostly, when he wasn't on his own or chatting with a random de Rolo child (or pair, he's never seen Ollie without Julia or Julia without Ollie), he was with Vesper. They'd trade sibling stories, Caleb speaking of Astrid and Eodwulf since they were the closest he'd had to siblings. He'll admit, it was nice being able to voice his thoughts now. 

"You know, you never told me why you were in the woods to begin with," Vesper mentioned one day, laying on the bed in a position that hung her upside down over the side while Caleb sat a little ways away in a chair that was already in the room when he'd gotten there. 

Caleb froze, chills running down his spine. He'd known she'd ask. That someone would ask. He was surprised he'd been here for almost half a month and no one had mentioned anything yet. 

He didn't want to tell her about the asylum. If he did, she'd ask why he was there. Then he'd have to tell her everything. About his parents, about the Academy... About Ikithon. He just wasn't ready to talk about it. He wasn't ready to see the disgust on her face. The hurt. He wasn't ready. 

"You don't have to say..."

That surprised him. "_Was_?"

"You don't have to tell me," Vesper shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I was just wondering."

"I..." Caleb looked down at his hands. "I... I rather not say, then."

"Okay. Have you had anything from the Slayer's Cake yet? I should bring you some. What kind of pastries do you like?"

And just like that, she was off, rambling again. Caleb stared blankly at her for a few moments of her rant. He hadn't known that was an option. He was hoping to keep it a secret, but if anyone asked, he'd thought he had no other choice _but_ to tell them. This was... A relief. He was beginning to like the little relationship he had made with Vesper and the little sparks of something he had with the rest of her family. He was so afraid of throwing that all away. Now he didn't have to.

"You're zoning out again, Mr. Caleb!" Vesper's voice ripped him from his mind. "Do you like Shorties or not?"

"Ah, sorry... What is a Shorty?"

•••

Caleb always felt a little bit awkward when Percival or Vex'ahlia came into the room. They were slowly persuading him to call them back their shortened names, but it just didn't feel very right just yet. Maybe it never would.

That didn't mean he didn't like them. Percival had a calm air to him and always spoke to him in the way Caleb guessed he always spoke, even before it was known he could speak Common. Vex'ahlia was warm and kind, gently fussing over him and making sure he was comfortable. They were lovely people. Caleb could see how Vesper came from them. 

It was really only awkward because they didn't come all that often. They were busy keeping their city running. Vesper was sometimes pulled away by things like that as well, seeing that she was the firstborn. Caleb didn't mind. He didn't feel like he connected with them enough to mind. Plus, it'd be selfish if he did. They only knew him for such a short amount of time. It wasn't like he was a god placed under their care. He wasn't anything special. That was kind of why it puzzled him and made him feel strange when they did come to visit.

"Can I come in, Caleb?" Percival's voice followed a knock on the door. 

"_Ja_, you can come in."

The Lord stepped in, shutting the door behind him. He was still dressed like he's been up and about. Part of Caleb wanted to urge him back to whatever he was doing. 

"How are you today?"

"I am alright," Caleb turned from the window he'd been looking out of. It wasn't much of a view. He could mostly see the sky and the top of some trees. A bird or a few insects if he was lucky. Sometimes he opened it and let the fresh air soothed him, especially after he's had an awful dream and needed the cold nip of a Whitestone night to bring him back to reality. "How are you?"

"I am well, thank you," Percival seemed intent on something from the way he breezed past the greeting. He'd clearly came here for more than a checkup. "Caleb, are you enjoying your time here?"

"Enjoying? _Ja_, it's very nice here," Caleb fiddled with the necklace he kept around his neck. He wasn't sure what it was or what it did, he'd been asked by Vesper and her siblings before, but some deep instinct told him to keep it close. So he did. "Why?"

"Because I feel a bit bad that you're sitting here in your room all the time," Percival leaned against the closed door. _He called it_ Caleb's _room rather than a guest room, how curious..._ "I wouldn't push you to venture further out, of course, but you must get lonely up here. And bored."__

_ __ _

"Your children make sure I am neither," Caleb murmured, a twitch of a smile appearing on his lips. He meant it in no ill way. He found the company nice. Perhaps he was starting to crave it after depriving himself of it for so long. 

_ __ _

"Well that's good, but my children can't always be here. I was wondering if you had any hobbies you used to enjoy. Maybe I can have something brought to you so you aren't spending so much of your time alone." 

_ __ _

Caleb looked at him, slightly confused. "Hobbies?"

_ __ _

"Things you like to do," Percival offered. "Drawing? Building? Reading?"

_ __ _

"Reading," Caleb answered immediately, almost without realizing it. He blinked and looked away sheepishly after processing his own outburst. "R-Reading."

_ __ _

"Excellent. Reading it is then," Percival gave an easy smile. "Can you read Common?"

_ __ _

Caleb nodded.

_ __ _

"Good. Because most of my books are in Common. Most of the good ones, anyway," Percival turned to leave, but then stopped. "What... Kind of books do you like?"

_ __ _

Caleb hesitated on that one. "I... I do not know... Really. It has been a while since I have last read a book."

_ __ _

"Well, we can't have that," Percival opened the door. "I'll have several genres picked out for you, how about that?"

_ __ _

"_Ja_, that'd be wonderful. Thank you."

_ __ _

"Anytime." 

_ __ _

And with that, the Lord of Whitestone was gone. A little bit of time passed before another knock came. 

_ __ _

"Come in," Caleb called, expecting it to be Percival again.

_ __ _

The Lady of Whitestone entered instead. 

_ __ _

"Hello, darling," Vex'ahlia used her hip to open the door and Caleb quickly noticed why. Her arms were full of books. "Percy asked me to bring these to you since Cassandra needed him for something. I hope you don't mind."

_ __ _

"_Nein_, it is okay..." Caleb's eyes tracked the books in her hands. "Thank you..."

_ __ _

Vex'ahlia seemed to notice his intense gaze and chuckled a little, walking over and placing the books down on the desk the room also was furnished with. "Now, let's see what we have here for you, dear... A book of the history of Whitestone, of course he'd put this here."

_ __ _

"May I see it?" Caleb's hands twitched as he yearned to reach and grab it. He was always drawn more towards books about arcane so he could learn more about it, but he didn't feel like reading anything about magic right now. History was the next best thing. He could hopefully learn to feel more comfortable in this city if he knew more about it.

_ __ _

"Why, of course, dear," Vex'ahlia held the book out to him, which was quickly and eagerly accepted. "These are all for you. I'm sorry, I'm just a little curious. What else is here..." 

_ __ _

The book is fairly thick. It should take Caleb the better part of the day to finish. And there were about another seven books there from the looks of it, all of various lengths and such. He couldn't help but smile. He hoped these weren't the only books he'd be getting. 

_ __ _

"These should last you a bit," Vex'ahlia declared once she was satisfied with looking through the books. "You can always ask for more when you finish." 

_ __ _

_It's like she read my mind..._ Caleb's smile grew just a smidge. "Thank you..."

_ __ _

"Of course!" Vex'ahlia straightened up before looking to Caleb. "So... Have my little cubs been nice to you during your stay here?"

_ __ _

"_Ja_, they are great company," Caleb looked up from glancing at the first page of the history book. "I have not seen the twins that often, though."

_ __ _

"Oh, no, they're everywhere," Vex'ahlia waved her hand towards the door of the room. "They... really remind me of my brother and I."

_ __ _

Caleb hesitated a bit. He remembered Vesper mentioning a blood uncle, but she didn't do so often, or as eagerly as she did the others. She'd told him he died long before she was born. She lightly told him small stories she's heard of him, but it would always be in a more somber tone than the wistful nature she'd take when telling stories of Vox Machina. He couldn't question why. It was different telling stories of your living family versus telling stories of family members who passed on. 

_ __ _

Vex'ahlia remained quiet for a short moment longer before clearing her throat and looking back towards Caleb. "Sorry about that, I was just-"

_ __ _

"Zoning out?" Caleb couldn't help but relate a bit. He knew what it felt like to drift off into your mind while you're talking. "At least that is what Vesper calls it."

_ __ _

"She taught you that?" Vex'ahlia laughed, the brief oddness of the moment before quickly fading. "Of course she did. Well, yes, I was zoning out. Sorry about that."

_ __ _

"It is fine. I do it all the time."

_ __ _

"Fair," Vex glanced at the book pile again before gasping and snatching one up. "How didn't I see this?! That motherfucker!" 

_ __ _

Caleb gave her a slightly odd look.

_ __ _

"This is mine!" Vex shook the book a bit. "I bought this book! I'm not even finished reading it yet!"

_ __ _

"You can have it..." Caleb murmured softly. "If it's yours..."

_ __ _

"No, that's not what I meant, dear, I'm sorry," Vex sighed heavily, covering her face with a hand. "My husband is just... An asshole. I think he's urging me to finish or else he's going to get rid of it. He hates it. I don't know why."

_ __ _

The Lady of Whitestone pauses for a moment before her face brightens up. "Mind if I sit with you for a little and we can read our books together? I personally have nothing better to do."

_ __ _

Caleb thought for a moment before shrugging a bit, nodding. He couldn't think of any reason why not. He's mostly sat and read alone during the times he has gotten his hands on a book in the past. In the Academy, most books were for studying purposes instead of for pleasure. Because of that, most students weren't drawn to reading as a pass time. Even if they were surely reading completely different things, the presence of another person alone is usually nice. 

_ __ _

"Wonderful!" Vex plopped down on the foot of the bed and flipped the book open. "Damn, I don't even remember where I left off..."

_ __ _

Caleb watched her for a moment before settling into his chair, opening the book in his hands. For a moment, he almost feels... happy.

_ __ _

•••

_ __ _

A mysterious female figure carried a bundle in her arms. It appeared almost like she was holding a small child. She lurked in the treeline near the city, just out of view of the people. She set the small form down in the bushes, where it finally stirred.

_ __ _

Two large, yellow eyes opened and stared blearily up at the figure. Its form was covered in both bandages and a cloak. The larger form gently slipped a mask on, which looked like the bottom half of the face of a porcelain doll. 

_ __ _

The smaller form squirmed and tried to skitter backward, but was stopped by a small bag being dropped on its stomach.

_ __ _

"Wha's goin' on?" The small form slurred, still not fully coherent. 

_ __ _

"I'd stay in the city if I were you," the woman stood up from her kneeling position. "Out of sight, of course, but nearby. I think you'll be very happy with what you find."

_ __ _

The smaller form stared at the woman with wide, confused eyes. But before it could say anything else, the woman disappeared.

_ __ _

"St-Stay in... The city?" the form slowly stood and gripped the back to its chest, unsure what was in it. 

_ __ _

They glanced at the buildings they could see from where they were hidden. Going anywhere near people was an awful idea. They knew that for certain. But... They needed food. And with this mask that they took a moment to inspect, they could possibly pass as a... Little halfling? Oh, how they would love to look like a halfling...

_ __ _

"Maybe I'll camp out here for now..." they decided with a shaky sigh, slipping the mask back on to try and cover their face. "Nightfall would be better for sneaking around."

_ __ _

And with that, the form disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

_ __ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh, I'm sure we all knew who's gonna appear next!


	6. Five - Nott

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb finally starts to venture outside of the castle. Though it started out as a neat and even fun experience, things turned fairly quickly, like things for Caleb often do. He meets an odd figure that comes to his rescue in the strangest way. Caleb swears he's never meet this stranger in his life, so why does he feel so protective?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed (or probably won't until I point it out now) there is an additional tag that has to do with "Soulmate Indicating Marks" and "Platonic Soulmates". Well, let's just say you do a lot of thinking at 2 am and this is now a little thing I want to add to this story. Hope it turns out alright!

Caleb finally began to grow restless. He wasn't sure if it was a sign that he was adjusting but after a little over a month in the de Rolo household, he was starting to get sick of the room he was given. The fresh air given from the window no longer satisfied him. He just didn't know how to go about this. He could always leave, but he also wanted to come back. He wasn't sure if leaving would make them realize that he's overstayed his welcome. He wasn't looking forward to living in the woods again, which was something he realized he tolerated more than he liked thanks to the fear of social interaction. 

Vesper, bless her soul, seemed to notice his restlessness rather quickly. Perhaps he shouldn't have let her get so good at reading him. It was so helpful, though, especially in times like this. All she had to do was sit and chat with him for a little bit before stopping and watching him fidget and zone out more than he usually does before she realized something was off. Okay, maybe he wasn't hiding it very well to begin with.

"It is a bit boring here..." Caleb murmured before cringing. "Not that I am not grateful to be allowed in here, I just-"

"Caleb, relax," Vesper cut him off, thankfully. "I grew up here. This castle is one of the only homes I know. But, let's face it, no one wants to be cooped up in one place forever. Even my dad hates it sometimes and just needs to... Take a walk around the city. How about we do that? I'll show you around! I was never able to!"

Caleb stared at her for a moment before nodding. Maybe he'll continue to let her be good at reading him. Maybe he needed her to be. 

So, after Vesper finished rambling eagerly about everything she was going to show him, she called the servants to gather some clothes he could wear outside before she rushed to get herself dressed. Once again, Caleb was faced with the guilt of wearing really nice clothing he really didn't deserve to even be holding. But Vesper came back rather quickly and nearly pulled the shirt on for him, so he managed to suck it up and wear it. But he pulled his coat on over, much to Vesper's dismay.

"You look so good without that dirty old coat!" she whined, but quickly dismissed it since he seemed to make it clear without having to say a word that the coat was staying. "Alright, into Whitestone we go!"

And into Whitestone they went.

•••

Caleb finds out a lot about himself. 

One of the main things is, he does like Shorties. He likes them quite a bit. The taste reminds him of himself a little bit. He also likes Blondies and coffee cake. He doesn't remember the last time he had so much sugar.

Another one of the main things, he is very awkward. A little worse than he was expecting of himself. Vesper ordered the food and Caleb was barely able to muscle out a "thank you" to the woman at the register before he took the treats and bailed. Vesper wouldn't stop giggling as they walked away from the bakery.

He also noticed things about Vesper. One very important thing, she gets very easily distracted. Thankfully she's been dragging him along whenever she rushes off somewhere, except for the more recent time. The girl had disappeared into the crowd, blending in fairly well for a well-groomed young lady in finer clothing. Caleb was immediately overwhelmed by the crowd and managed to wiggle his way out of it, without Vesper.

"_Ach, Scheiße_," Caleb cursed lowly. 

He could always call for her, but that would draw attention to himself. Attention was bad. But being alone in a city he barely knows despite having lived in it for a month was also bad. Caleb was very conflicted. 

Caleb, having nothing else to do, began wandering back towards the Slayer's Cake. He bit at his nails as he walked, looking around in hopes of spotting Vesper, but to no luck. He continued to curse in Zemnian under his breath, hoping to just get back to someplace familiar and gather himself. 

"'Ey, redhead!" 

Caleb froze, glancing around and noticing an odd figure lurking nearby. He also noticed the streets were running dry when it came to folks wandering past. 

Wonderful...

"_Es tut mir leid, ich spreche nicht Gemein..._" He muttered quickly, turning to begin walking faster. Fake it 'til you make it, right? 

Well...

A hand grabbed his shoulder and Caleb froze all over again.

"I saw you out with the little Lady," The man tugged him back, making his way towards a darker corner of the street. 

The man looked more of a mess than Caleb had when Vesper first found him. He was pale and his hand was bony with skin pulled tight over them. His eyes were almost beady, trained on him like a predator. Caleb wanted to scream, but he couldn't, so he let himself to pulled a couple more feet.

"I was just wondering if you got any spare cash to give me. De Rolos don't talk to anyone without givin' em a little coin afterward."

Caleb shook his head, muttering about not understanding Common in Zemnian again as he stiffened himself and stopped his feet from falling in pace with this guy. 

"C'mon, man, I know you got something!" the guy hissed, his hands suddenly grabbing his coat and yanking it open. "Look at these nice fabrics your wearing! You gotta have something, come on!" 

Caleb panicked, swinging his hand out and whacking the guy on the side of the head. It was enough to get him to release Caleb, thankfully, but it didn't give him a very large window of time to run. Instead, he quickly found himself staring at a blade that was a bit too close to his throat then he'd like. Caleb's mouth went dry and he clenched his hands, trying to steady his surely shaking hands. 

"You wanna do this the hard way, huh?" the man growled, his blade almost chipped and dirty. Caleb couldn't imagine what being cut with it would do to your blood, even if it wasn't magical. "Fine, let's do this the hard way."

There was a howl of pain. Caleb first thought it was from himself, but when the blade was dropped at his feet without a drop of blood on it and his attacker let go to almost curl in on himself, he highly suspected that was not the case. 

Caleb glanced down to see a small figure latched on to his attacker's leg. It took a bit of jerking on the asshole's part to figure whoever this was was apparently _biting_ the guy. Caleb could barely process why it seemed like a little kid came and bit onto his attacker before the fucker ripped the figure off and threw them onto the ground. 

Caleb noticed several things at once. He noticed a gleam from what seemed like a mask over the smaller figure's face. He noticed the size, definitely. He then noticed the crossbow. 

"Back up or I'll shoot!" the smaller figure shrieked, shaking Caleb a bit from their voice. "I'll fucking shoot you!"

"You little son of a-" the fucker bared his teeth in a feral way before kicking the little figure square in the check. It sent them flying and smacking into a wall before crumpling on the ground once more. "Little fucking vermin!"

Caleb felt suddenly so... Angry. He had no clue why. He had no clue where it came from. His shoulder suddenly began pulsing in a random pain that wasn't there before, but he was too focused on his rage to notice. Just burning, bubbling anger and hate and-

"Ah, fuck!" 

Caleb didn't know he'd reached for the crossbow. Caleb didn't know he'd shot it. He did know the man now was bleeding from an open gash the bolt left after it'd grazed him pretty badly. 

Caleb then threw the crossbow to the ground and began frantically scraping at himself. He definitely looked mad. The man just stood in shock as he watched this, watched this crazy red-haired kid throw himself on the ground and cover his face and hands and clothing with smears of dirt and grime. He ran it through his hair and scratched at his skin until it left lines of red across his arms and face. He picked up the bow again before scooping up his small savior, who was conscious but had clearly taken an awful hit. He lowered his face beside the smaller one's.

"_Mother's Love._"

A pair of yellow eyes stared at him in both shock and confusion before they seemed to flash with some sort of understanding and their little hands latched on to his torn and dirtied clothes and curled up like a child clinging to its parent.

"What the fuck-" 

"_JEMAND HILFE! WIR WERDEN AUSGERAUBT! ER HIT MEIN KIND!_" 

Caleb began screaming on the top of his lungs, babbling and spewing words in Zemnian and even some broken Common. The guy shrunk back, eyes wide in panic as the commotion became clear for streets nearby. People were starting to migrate over and appear from alleyways and even peek out of buildings. The little thing in his arms began wailing like a baby as Caleb clung to them and continued to yell. Eventually, the guy panicked and raced off, eyes trailing him the entire time as Caleb grabbed the crossbow again and ducked away into the chaos. 

•••

"Are you alright?" Caleb managed to settle several blocks away, lungs still burning from running. His coat was smeared with mud and dirt and his clothing was torn and ripped from his violent actions against it. He was a mess. 

The figure was trembling in his grasp. Yellow eyes met his again and he was soon able to pick out more details now that the adrenaline was wearing off. 

The green was one thing he noticed rather quickly. Green skin. And the claws that dug more holes into his tunic. He quickly realized what he was holding.

"Are you a... Ah... Goblin?"

The figure suddenly twisted violently in his grasp.

"Wait wait wait!" Caleb dropped the crossbow to get a better grip. The figure still squirmed and panicked, nails digging into his skin, but he ignored it. "I will not hurt you. But... You saved me. Why?"

The goblin paused and looked at him, golden eyes weary. The gleam he'd noticed before was revealed to be the bottom half of a porcelain doll's face, covering the goblin's mouth like a mask. 

"Because... I... Wanted the money he got from you, " they sputtered out. 

It sounded like bullshit. Judging by the uncomfortable glances and the avoiding of eye contact, it was most likely bullshit. 

"Okay... Well... Thank you..." Caleb set the little creature back on its feet. They immediately swayed and grabbed on to his hands to steady themselves, looking up at him with kind of a dazed gaze. "Are you okay? You hit the wall very hard back there, _mein Freund_." 

The goblin shook their head and pulled away from him. "I'm fine," they huffed and turned away from him. A little after doing that, their legs crumpled. Caleb scooped them up again. 

"You hit your head too hard, _ja_?"

"M-Maybe a little..."

"I can help you."

"How?" the goblin opened one eye and glared suspiciously at him.

Caleb hesitated. "My, ah... My friends can heal well."

"Will they heal _goblins_?" the goblin huffed at him. "Surely not."

"They will heal you. They are kind," Caleb glanced back in the direction of the castle. "Can I please help you? Trust me on this..."

The goblin seemed momentarily conflicted for a moment before their hands closed and took fistfuls of Caleb's shirt. They nodded mutely, making no more of a fuss as Caleb carried them away. 

•••

"Caleb! Caleb, there you are!"

Vesper came running, out of breath and her eyes wide. 

"I heard there was a fight or some- whaaat is that?" 

Caleb looked down at his little goblin friend. Through very brief bits of small talk as he struggled to make his way back without one: being caught with a goblin and two: being possibly muggled again, he found out she was a girl goblin and her name was Nott. That was about it. 

"Uh, Vesper, you need to trust me for a moment, okay?" Caleb shifted Nott into one arm before reaching out and grabbing Vesper's hand with the other. "You can't be too loud."

"What is that, a baby? Where'd you get a baby, Caleb?" Vesper leaned over to try and get a better look but thankfully didn't protest as he led her somewhere more private. "Caleb?"

"_Sie ist nett, ich verspreche_," Caleb murmured to Nott. She didn't seem to understand, but she didn't protest all that much when he tugged back the hood, the bandages, and the mask. "Vesper, look."

And she looked. She looked and furrowed her brows and stared until Nott was squirming in his grasp, trying to turn herself away. 

"Is that..."

"Please do not be too loud about it, Vesper, please."

"Caleb," Vesper said slowly, taking a step back. "Is that a goblin?"

"_Ja..._" 

"Caleb... Where did you get a goblin?" 

"I was being mugged and she defended me."

"I'm sorry- _what_?!"

"That is not important right now!" Caleb waved his hand, tucking Nott close to him again. He let Nott slip the mask back on and tugged her hood down a bit. She seemed to ease a little with her disguise. "But yes, I was being mugged and Nott here defended me. She's hurt."

"'Not here'?" Vesper echoed.

"No, _Nott_. That is her name."

"I didn't know they had names..." Vesper looked to Nott, who was peeking at her with one yellow eye. "N-No offense. Sorry." 

"Anyway," Caleb went on. "The guy who was mugging me hurt her and she can't walk properly. She hit her head pretty hard, so I am sure that has something to do with it."

"Let me see," Vesper stepped forward with her hands out, making Nott recoil and curl closer to Caleb. "I just need to see your head, Miss Nott. I'll be gentle."

Caleb winced a little, remembering how she healed him. She wasn't all that gentle. He decided not to mention it, not wanting to scare Nott. 

Surprisingly, Vesper was quite gentle with the goblin. Pulling the hood down clearly made Nott on edge, but Vesper gingerly ran her fingers through Nott's thin and dark hair before beginning to gentle press on her scalp. 

"Tell me when it hurts."

"_Ow_!" 

"Oh, there!" 

Vesper ran her fingertips gently over a certain spot on the back of Nott's head. "You got quite a bump here, Miss. Does it hurt anywhere else but your head?"

Nott freed one and from Caleb's shirt before patting her chest.

"Your chest hurts?"

"He did kick her into a wall..."

"Pelor's Grace, you must be hurting all over!" Any wariness in Vesper faded. "You're too small to be taking hits like that! Okay, okay, I can only heal a bit, but we need to make sure you don't have any eternal damage!"

"Do we bring her to the castle?" Caleb asked softly. Nott still heard him, of course, and started to squirm a little, but Caleb held on. "Do you think your mother will heal her?"

"I think my aunt will do it best, but... She's not here, " Vesper scratched her cheek, thinking. "I mean, Mom doesn't have any grudges against goblins. Not that I know of. Neither does Dad. Uncle Scanlan does but-"

Nott let out a small, fearful noise. Caleb winced and Vesper reached, laying her hands gently on the little goblin's arm.

"But he's not here!" Vesper quickly finished her sentence. "He's on a whole other continent! He only comes to visit if it's like, a birthday, or Winter's Crest, or something really bad happened. Winter's Crest or birthdays aren't coming up anytime soon so we don't need to worry about that! And if he comes with bad news about something, my parents are probably going to leave with him, so we can just hide you for a little while. No big deal."

Nott still trembled in Caleb's hold, staring at Vesper with clear uncertainty. Caleb looked to Vesper desperately. He wasn't one to comfort others. He never was. This goblin was clearly in distress and Caleb had no clue what to do.

"Let's just go back," Vesper spoke gently to Nott, who still seemed to be questioning if trusting her was a good idea. "I'll heal you a little and then talk to my mother. She'll probably find a way to heal you more. Then once you're feeling better you can leave and go back to your clan. How does that sound?" 

Nott looked awfully conflicted.

"I will make sure you get in and out safely," Caleb offered.

Nott looked at him and nodded.

The trust she put him in so quickly was honestly terrifying. But Caleb couldn't ponder about it for too long, afraid Nott will change her mind if she too thought about her situation too much. He nodded to Vesper who took Caleb's free hand and led them to the castle.

••

Nott is painfully skittish, the startled looks Vex gave her when they went to her not helping the matter. The Lady had tugged Vesper off to the side momentarily after giving Nott some healing for her head injury and left Caleb awkwardly holding the little goblin while the mother and daughter slipped from view.

"Would you like me to put you down?" 

Nott didn't answer. 

Caleb rocked on his feet a little. He was never technically _comfortable_ in the castle. He always felt like an intruder. A looming sense of dread, a voice in the back of his head telling him he shouldn't be there. But the de Rolos have been so kind and he had nowhere else to go. Sitting here though, the dread was worse. It was so much worse. He felt like a prisoner waiting to be executed. It didn't feel good.

"Can I see your wrist?" 

Caleb startled out of his daze, gazing down at his new little friend with confusion. "_Was_?" 

"Your wrist..." Nott held up her arm, almost like giving an example to something. "Can I check something?"

"Check what, my pulse?" Caleb lightly joked but offered his dominant hand to her after shifting his hold on her.

"You don't have it..." Nott sounded almost... Disappointed. "Something told me you would..."

"Have what?" 

"This."

Nott pulled the sleeve of what he assumed as her dominant hand. On her wrist, almost printed into her green skin, was what seemed to be a book with a quill tucked into its pages. It was small, about the size of Caleb's thumb, but it appeared big on her. 

"I got it last night," Nott shrugged a little. "I don't know why I just thought you'd have it too."

Caleb stared at her, puzzled for a moment before setting her down. He ignored her look of confusion and slight sadness and focused on pulling his coat off. He knelt down in front of her and pointed at the shoulder he recalls burning with a fury as great as his own when that man had hit her. She immediately scrambled up and tugged his tunic away, peering at the bare skin of the back of his shoulder. 

"Oh..." Her voice was suddenly soft. "How nice..."

"What is it, exactly?" 

"You don't know?"

"I cannot see it very well..."

"Oh, right," Caleb leaned over a bit as Nott pressed more weight against his shoulder as if wanting a closer look. "It's a crossbow. But there's a flower inside instead of a bolt. A yellow lily."

"That is nice... What does it mean, exactly?"

"I don't know," Nott pulled back, allowing Caleb to fix his shirt and pull his coat back on. "I only got it last night. It felt like a little sting before it faded and suddenly it was there."

"That is odd," Caleb rubbed his shoulder, where a similar mark lies. "I didn't really know I had it. I just... Took a guess."

"Really?"

"_Ja_."

Before the conversation could carry on, Vex and Vesper returned. Nott tensed and pressed against Caleb's leg, who'd stood up by then. 

"Well, Miss Nott, I think the question we all need to know is why you are in Whitestone to begin with," Vex'ahlia settled in a chair in the room before gesturing for the others to sit as well. "No one's in trouble. I'm personally very grateful you came to our Caleb's aid."

Our _Caleb, huh...?_ The redhead couldn't help but muse as Vex went on.

"We just want to make sure you aren't going to bring your whole clan to attack us," She explained calmly. "A dear friend of mine lost his mother to goblins. We don't want anyone losing anyone else because we weren't cautious enough. I don't want to offend you or anything, especially after you were so kind as to help Caleb here, so I hope you understand."

"N-No, no, I get it," Nott fiddled with her fingers, her hands grasping at the air like they wanted something to hold on to. "I'm not with anyone, I swear. I... Actually don't know much about what I'm doing here. This place isn't very familiar to me."

"No?" Vex'ahlia seemed puzzled for a moment. "What do you mean, dear?"

"I mean... I kinda woke up in the woods," Nott loosely gestured to the wall, clearly meaning the wilderness on the other side of it. "Someone brought me here. She kinda dropped me off with supplies and told me I'd be better off staying within the city."

That rang several alarms in Caleb's head. "What did she look like?"

The ladies all gave him odd looks.

"I... Don't really remember..." Nott murmured after a brief pause. "It was dark and I was just waking up and..."

"But she put you in the woods and gave you supplies," Caleb pushed on. "Did she sort of disappear out of nowhere before you could ask anything."

Nott started to look unsure. "Uh... Yes, actually."

"Caleb?" Vesper's voice piped up hesitantly. "Do you know her?"

Caleb gave a small nod. "She was the reason I was in the forest as well."


	7. Six - History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vex'ahlia and Vesper are naturally curious after Caleb's statement. After questions were asked and arrangements were decided, the de Rolos have a little chat about why certain decisions were made.

Caleb's statement sent both Vex'ahlia and Vesper into streams of questions, Vex'ahlia even stepping out before returning with her husband, who surprisingly didn't seem all that surprised by Nott. Maybe his wife told him before he came in. 

Caleb twitched and fumbled under the attention, Nott curling closer to him and tugging her hood down to try and hide her face. Soon the de Rolos seemed to realize they were overwhelming the two rather than getting too many answers. Vex'ahlia and Vesper both healed Nott together, helping her breathe easier and walk better as she shuffled away from the two. Caleb felt oddly glad that Nott was feeling better, despite having only known her for maybe an hour at the most. 

"Thank you..." She murmured softly. Caleb felt an odd warmth, as if he was being embraced, only to look down and realize Nott seemed to be nervously rubbing her wrist. As a response, Caleb reached and rubbed his marked shoulder, watching with slight curiosity as the tension melted away from Nott's shoulders. "I... Should be going now."

"Does your wrist hurt too?" Vesper crouched down and reached for her. Nott jerked away, pressing her wrist protectively to her chest. 

"No!" She said quickly, taking a step back. "I'm fine!"

"I'll heal you if it hurts," Vesper insisted but was still a bit harshly shut down.

"Nott is just rubbing her tattoo," Caleb shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"You have a tattoo?" Vesper leaned forward more, Caleb wincing as he realized he only made the teen more interested rather than not. "Can I see?"

"It's... It's not a tattoo..." Nott sputtered out, looking to Caleb helplessly. 

The redhead gently pulled Nott closer. "She got it last night, hours before we met. She doesn't really know where it came from."

Vex'ahlia and Percival looked suddenly curious. Vesper just hummed, finally taking the hint and rising back to her feet. 

"Well, as long as it doesn't hurt, I guess," the teen also seemed confused about it, but thankfully didn't press any further. "Do you still want to leave, Nott?"

"Nott should stay," Vex'ahlia suddenly piped up, startling the goblin in question a bit. "She seems sweet. The oddest little goblin I've ever met, that's for sure, but sweet."

"I-I..." Nott sputtered and patted around herself before pulling out a flask seemingly from nowhere. "I couldn't-"

"No, I see no harm in it," Percival spoke up as well, which surprised Caleb. "We'll get you a room set up if you'd like."

"Really, Dad?" Vesper seemed shocked as well. "Mom? I mean, not that I don't want Nott to stay, it's just you usually have a limit to how many strays I could bring home."

"Oh of course," Vex'ahlia said easily. "But technically this is _Caleb's_ stray, dear. Not yours."

Nott let out a weak "Hey!" and Caleb blinked, a bit startled. Vesper just erupted in light giggles.

"That's fair."

"We can get a room set up for you if you'd like," Vex'ahlia looked to Nott again, who was still shyly hiding among Caleb's coat. "We'll have meals brought up to you if you don't want to join us. We did the same for Caleb."

"I want to stay with Caleb," Nott blurted out, shrinking back in a bit of embarrassment after she'd said it. "I mean... I guess-"

"She can stay with me," Caleb found himself saying, ignoring the look of brief shock over Nott's features. "I do not mind."

"We can have a bed brought up for her, right darling?" Vex'ahlia turned to her husband, not seeming bothered at all. 

"I don't see why not. Certainly." 

"What's going on?" Nott whispered to Caleb, who seemed just as dumbfounded.

"I have no clue."

"Alright, well, why don't you show her to your room, Caleb?" Vex'ahlia broke away from Percy to turn to the younger man. "We'll have a bed for her to sleep in brought up there. Maybe Vesper can show you where the bathrooms are if you'd like to get cleaned up."

"A-Actually, Mom, Dad, I need to tell you guys something first," Vesper piped up, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry."

"I can show her," Caleb ushered the goblin out the door. "Thank you."

"Th-Thank you..." Nott squeaked before the door shut.

••

Vesper wasted no time once the two had disappeared.

"Mom, Dad, I know you've been through war and stuff," she started, startling her parents a bit. "I've heard all the stories. You guys are usually more paranoid about people. You especially, Mom. I'm not saying I don't trust Nott, but you guys trusted her way quicker than you normally do."

The two let out soft, breathy laughs before Vex stepped forward. 

"Don't you remember this story, dear?" Vex'ahlia opened her shirt a bit to reveal an image on her collarbone, hovering above her heart. It was a piece of stone. Whitestone, to be exact. A more polished piece, barely bigger than a print left by her index finger. "Of our marks?"

Things slowly connected in Vesper's head.

"Oh..." She reached and touched her mother's wrist, where a scar from a faded mark laid on her inner wrist, on her pulse. "Do you think?"

"We have reasons to assume," Percival reached and brushed a mark on his neck, also covering his pulse, with two fingers. "We've never heard of mysterious tattoos appearing on people before they meet a total stranger. At least, none outside of Vox Machina. No one can describe why we'd gotten these marks, and it's a pretty odd coincidence that they appeared not long before we all crossed paths."

"Vax and I got ours the first night outside of Syngorn," Vex muttered, sounding lost in the memory. "We were young so we didn't question it too much. He just thought it was cool. He always wanted to get a tattoo but was kind of nervous about the needle part. We were also happy we matched." 

Vesper remembered the tale. All of Vox Machina remembered the mark of Vax'ildan to be a dagger with a beautiful pair of raven wings, similar to the mark her mother left on the others, which was an arrow with the wings of a bluebird instead. When her uncle had died, the mark on her mother and the other members of Vox Machina faded into a smudge of discoloration where the mark had once been. Vex'ahlia said the mark on Uncle Vax's arm was on his dominant hand, inner wrist, shielding his pulse. Just like the dark smudge that laid over her mother's pulse. 

"What do you think it means?" Vesper asked, trying to change the subject. The air always got awfully heavy when her uncle was brought into the equation. "The marks..."

"I think they have something to do with fate," Vex answered, pulling herself from her faraway state. "Your uncle once told me all the threads that led Vox Machina to their destiny were intertwined. All woven and knotted together. So our meeting was no accident, no coincidence. Vox Machina was meant to be. So in my eyes, these are Fate Marks. They show the world that we were tied together from the start."

"So you think Caleb and Nott are tied?" Vesper thought of Nott nervously rubbing his wrist and Caleb rubbing his shoulder like it ached, even though Vesper had already made sure her redhaired friend wasn't injured. It reminded her of her mother rubbing at her chest or wrist when she was nervous or stroking her forearm whenever Auntie Keyleth is rambling anxiousness or pressing against her left rib whenever Uncle Grog looked like he was going to break something. Maybe they really were tied. "Fate Marks... Is it just them? Are there more? Is it a whole group like Vox Machina?"

Her parents hesitated very briefly, her mother longer than her father, but it was long enough for Vesper to know her question hadn't crossed their minds.

"That is a possibility," her father answered, thoughtfully.

"But how will we know?" Vex'ahlia thought out loud before Percy answered her.

"They share a similar story," The man pointed out. "A woman dropped them off in the woods and disappeared. They have very little memory of how they got here, if at all, and they barely even remember what the woman looked like. That's not a very common story to have. Unless this was a planned thing, of course, which is entirely possible, though I doubt it. It wouldn't be hard to guess a youth who shows up in the area reporting to have gotten here from a mysterious woman they barely remember was connected with these two. If we do run into them they should get the marks as well, which would be a dead give away."

"How many do you think there is?" Vesper mused. "There were eight of you..."

"I do hope we don't have to look for eight children..." Percival grimaced a little at the thought. "Especially if these children are going to be dumped in our woods. I don't want another person getting attacked out there. Caleb was lucky you were there, Vesper."

"If we are looking for eight, we'll look for eight," Vex'ahlia sighed softly. "We'll look for ten if we have to. Judging by how close Nott and Caleb seem to be, they must feel some kind of connection, whether it's just Caleb expressing gratitude or something else. What if it were us? I couldn't imagine being separated from... What's left of Vox Machina. I couldn't lose you all."

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt them as much..." Vesper suggested. "They don't know there's probably more of them. It'd only hurt you guys so bad because you already have a bond."

"They're still Fated," Vex shook her head. "They'll end up together eventually, so why not gather them all here, where they'll be safe? If that's what these marks really mean. I mean, it's an awful coincidence these marks seem to act like ours."

"We'll just have to contact the others, then," Percy decided. "Tell them what signs to look for in any people they come across. If they do find them, see if we can get them here to the others as soon as possible."

"I need to tell the others about Nott...!" Vesper gasped suddenly and hurried out, not noticing her parents chuckling behind her.


	8. Seven - Braids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Vesper rushes off to tell her siblings about Nott, it seems that someone had found out before she could get to them.

Vesper was a tad too slow in her rush to inform her siblings about their new visitor. 

Caleb had already shown Nott his room and allowed her to wander around, exploring the bookshelf and the desk with more books on it as well as an odd little trinket given to him by one of the de Rolo children.

"Her name is Johanna. She is very sweet, you will like her," Caleb assured his new roommate as Nott examined the toy. It was a little metal bear with funny legs. "If you twist that knob right there, it walks for a little bit before springing up and doing a little flip. It's actually quite cute. Percival apparently made it for her when she was small."

Nott tried out the toy. Twisting it as far as it went, she set it loose on the wooden floors of the room. It did indeed walk. The walk was an odd little shimmy fueled by a vibration that came from within it and filled the air with a low buzzing noise. After it shimmied for a moment or so, there was a sharp clicking noise before it suddenly shot up and flipped. It toppled over upon landing, but it was still rather impressive. 

"And they've been letting you stay here?" Nott gently placed the little bear back on its place on Caleb's desk. "They aren't making you work or anything?"

"_Nein,_" Caleb settled into his bed, his voice sounding like he couldn't believe it either. "They have not. They have been so kind to me. That is why I was sure we could bring you here."

"Why did you want to bring me somewhere nice?" Nott found the flask on her belt again. She'd discovered it late the other night and was pleasantly surprised to see the alcohol somehow didn't seem to have an end. "I said I wanted to steal from you."

"I do not believe you actually did."

"Yeah, but I could have. I could still steal from you and you wouldn't even know. I'm that good."

"I am sure you are. But you- You won't."

Nott frowned and took a swig from the flask to force a pause in the conversation. Caleb lifted a book he'd left resting on the pillow of the bed, flipping to find the page he'd left off at. Nott sighed softly and shuffled closer, seeming almost sheepish and unsure. 

"I could do it," she murmured, taking another swig from her flask, but replying quicker afterward. "I just don't want to."

There was a silence that settled over them that Caleb couldn't decide if it was nice or awkward. Maybe it was nice to him, seeing that he was never that talkative. But this silence was quickly broken by the sound of the door pushed open and a small voice calling out. 

"CALEB-"

That call was quickly cut off by a high pitched shriek, followed by a second shriek. He saw a blur rush underneath his bed before the figure at his door stumbled out.

"Johanna!" Caleb tossed his book to the side and rose up. 

The little girl's hands were curled to her chest and her body was shaking. Her big hazel eyes were somehow bigger with fear as she shuffled away from the door. Guards had appeared, rapidly asking what had happened, weapons at the ready.

"She just saw a spider," Caleb lept forward, tucking Johanna underneath his arm. He at first feared this would make the guards suspicious, but the girl clung to him quickly and shook against him. "We are okay, _Danke._" 

With that, the redhead pulled the little girl into the room and shut the door. He grimaced a bit when he didn't hear footsteps leading away from the door, but at least they weren't demanding him to release the lord's daughter or anything. 

"Caleb, a monster...!"

"_Nein,_ no monster," Caleb said quickly, leading the girl over to his bed. She cringed and tugged back against him, but once he sat down and drew her closer, she scrambled onto the bed and curled up next to him, not letting her feet dangle off the side. "No monster, it's alright. Nott, come on out, this is Johanna."

"I don't think I should..." A hesitant voice spoke out after a moment. Johanna tensed but thankfully didn't scream again. "She's scared of me, Caleb..."

"She was just surprised," Caleb reached and reached his hand out, making it visible to the little goblin under his bed. "You both were. It is alright. No harm done."

"Not?" Johanna leaned forward a bit, a little sliver of courage emerging. 

"That is her name," Caleb wiggled his fingers a little, trying to coax Nott out. "She is a friend I met just today. She fought a man who tried to rob me."

"Oh... She rescued you?" 

"_Ja._"

"Like a knight?"

"Uh, sure," Caleb gave a soft smile when Nott's hand carefully touched his. "Nott, come, say hello. She's alright."

"Uh..." Nott peeked out, her hood and mask on, yet failing to lessen her large yellow eyes. "H-Hi... Sorry I scared you."

"Are you a monster knight?" Johanna reached out to touch her, recoiling only a little when Nott flinched away. "Are you scared of me?"

"You are both just a bit shaken," Caleb reached and pulled Nott onto the bed, ignoring her struggling and squeaky protests. "But you are both my friends, so I want you both to be okay."

"She's your friend?" Johanna looked up at Caleb and frowned. 

"_Ja,_ but- uh- you are still my _best_ friend." 

"Oh, okay," Johanna looked at Nott again before reaching out once more. Nott flinched again, but Jo still managed to tap her nail against the mask. "Did you make that?"

"Uhm, no, someone gave it to me," Nott touched the mask, hesitant and shy. 

"Why do you wear it?"

"Because I don't want more little girls to be scared of me."

"Oh..." Johanna looked over her. "You're not that scary."

"But you-"

"You were just scary at first because you're a goblin," Jo stated simply. "But you're not a mean goblin, like the ones in the storybooks, so I don't think you're scary anymore."

"Oh... Thank you?" Nott looked to Caleb, who shrugged a bit. 

"You're friends with Caleb?" Johanna was completely fine now, the easy-going child Caleb was used to seeing. It was a relief.

"Yeah, I guess," Nott patted around for her flask again. 

"Well, if you're his friend, you can be my friend too."

"I'd... I'd like that."

"Okay! So, what's your favorite kind of flower?"

••

Vesper did manage to inform the majority of her siblings about Nott. It took her a bit longer since Ollie had questions and Julia needed to constantly be told the goblin wasn't dangerous. Gregory seemed interested, but he was more interested in trying to figure out how to play the flute through his nose. Vesper gladly left him to it.

The teen did start to panic when her searches for Johanna kept coming up empty-handed. She returned to her siblings many times, asking about the youngest De Rolo, but they all claimed not to have seen her. She asked castle guards and servants if they've seen her, but that came up negative as well. Johanna was always one to disappear, but this was really important.

"Oh..." Vesper stopped in her tracks after trying to think about where she may be. "Of course. I'm so stupid."

Vesper made a beeline to Caleb's room, knocking rapidly on the door. She had a feeling Johanna had at least been here within the hour or so that Vesper spent looking for her. She hoped she was there and hadn't run off somewhere after being frightened by Nott. Goblins were never given the greatest rep, especially around the wooded areas. 

"Come in," Caleb's voice called from behind the door. He didn't sound worried. 

Vesper opened the door quickly, praying for the best. "Hey, Caleb? I can't find-"

Tension bled from Vesper's shoulders as she processed the scene in front of her. Caleb was sitting on the floor, leaning against his bed and reading a book in his lap. Nott was settled down behind him, braiding his hair in a thick braid before unraveling it and redoing it. She still had her mask on, but her hood was down and Johanna was behind her and braiding the goblin's dark and thin hair full of poises and petals. 

"Oh..." 

"Vesper! Caleb's new friend is a knight monster and we're best friends now!" Johanna chirped happily, letting a finished braid fall from her fingers before gathering some more. Vesper wasn't even sure where she got the flowers from. "Her hair looks so pretty with flowers in it, right?"

"Very pretty," Vesper looked at Caleb, who shrugged helplessly. "Well, I came to warn you that Caleb has a friend staying for a while, but it seems like you already know."

"You're staying, Nott!?" Johanna leaned over to see the goblin's face. "Forever?!"

"W-Well, not _forever_..." 

"Can I do your hair always?" Johanna eagerly began stringing up another braid. "I think it'll look better if I keep making it nice and pretty every day."

"Sure..." Nott had stopped braiding Caleb's hair and simply ran her clawed fingers through it. "That sounds nice." 

"Can I join you guys?" Vesper shut the door behind her and climbed onto the bed behind Johanna. "You need to change your flowers, Jo. They're wilting."

Vesper smiled to herself as she heard Caleb sigh softly. He probably just processed the situation he was in and how utterly screwed he was in a room full of girls. She undid one of Johanna's braids, combing the stiff bits of plant still in it before lifting up one of the little feathers Johanna had gathered in the pile of things she was planning on braiding into Nott's hair. 

"This would look nice in Mr. Caleb's hair, Nott," Vesper leaned and handed the goblin the feather. "These blue and purple petals would look nice too."

"You can't use them all!" Johanna scooped up some of the petals. "If you put them all in Caleb's hair, I can't make you match!"

Caleb sighed again, drawing a giggle from Vesper. 

"They're so nice here..." She could hear Nott whisper to Caleb.

She couldn't hear Caleb's reply, but the way Nott settled back and began braiding the feather into his red hair with an eager pace, it must have been something nice.


	9. Eight - Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now it's Nott's turn to adjust to life with spoils. She and Caleb were getting along much easier than either of them expected. It was almost like there was a bond already set in place that they were just slowly uncovering. But while those two are doing that, one of the de Rolo children are curious about how comfortable Nott is in her own skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does include Body Dysphoria. It's usually a common tag that follows poor Nott around, but it isn't all about her this time around.

Nott slowly began to adjust to life in Whitestone. She braided Johanna's hair and had her hair braided by the girl. She was still shy towards the other children, hanging towards the back of the room whenever Vesper came to hang out with Caleb. She'd also pretty much hide from Gregory and the twins, other than the time Caleb has managed to lure her out long enough for her to properly meet them. Despite all of that, she seemed pretty happy, from what Caleb could see. He hoped it was genuine. For whatever reason, he wanted her here, but he wouldn't force her to stay if she didn't want to. He wouldn't dare hurt her in such a way. 

Though most would find it strange to willingly share your room with a stranger, Caleb found that it felt quite natural. The de Rolos had brought a smaller, yet just as comfortable bed in for Nott to sleep in. They somehow managed to move the desk and the bookshelf over to make room for it. Nott did seem to enjoy the bed, having sprawled out on it with a heavy sigh once it came.

"It's been so long since I've slept in a bed..." She'd murmured into the pillow, her muffled words twisting in Caleb's head for a moment before he finally understood them.

"When was the last time you slept in a bed?"

"Oh, since I was ho-" Nott began, having rolled onto her back at this point, but her voice quickly cut off and she rolled onto her side, curling into a ball of grey cloak. 

"Home?" Caleb had finished her sentence but didn't press any further when he noticed she was starting to tremble. "I-I am sorry-"

"No! No, it's not you, it's just-" Nott once again cut herself off and buried her face in her hands. 

"You do not have to talk about it," Caleb couldn't bring himself to be as nonchalant about it as Vesper usually was when it came to backstories, but he knew he could live with Nott keeping a secret from him. He was keeping plenty of secrets himself. "Do not worry about it, _mein Freund_."

They both had drifted into silence after that, but he did catch Nott glancing at him with a grateful, more at ease look. 

Though, after that, Caleb found himself waking up to a little form curled in his bed. Whether it was by his feet or just nearly pressing against his back, he knew Nott had begun creeping into his bed in the middle of the night, but she always manages to slip away before he properly woke up. 

Caleb didn't mention it at first. He didn't see a problem with it. Once again, it felt natural. But because of this, Nott quickly learned of Caleb's sleeping issues. 

Caleb couldn't really remember what he had been dreaming about. All he remembered was being shaken away and feeling the heavy dread in his gut and the back of his throat that usually came with a night terror. But he didn't really know what to think of the yellow eyes looking down at him when he opened his eyes.

"C-Caleb?" Nott's voice immediately soothed him, brushing away any fear that whatever had haunted his dreams had possibly seeped into reality as well. "Are you alright? You were thrashing about in your sleep."

It took a moment of processing and fully coming to consciousness before Caleb could really feel embarrassed. But once it happened, it happened. Caleb was _mortified_.

"I-I am so sorry-" Caleb reached and covered his face with his hands. "I should have warned you. It is a miracle you didn't find out sooner, after being here for two weeks..."

"Does this always happen?" Nott's voice was oddly soft, her small claws running through his hair, which always felt soaked through with sweat. "What were you dreaming about?"

"I... Don't remember..." Caleb was truly surprised by his own honesty. "I just know it was not good."

"Oh Caleb..." Nott crooned like a... Mother. "Is there anything I can do?"

"_Nein_, I will be okay," Caleb reached and patted her arm with his fingers. "_Danke_... You do not have to keep sleeping in here. You probably shouldn't. I will just keep waking you."

"I'm fine with that," Nott slid off where she was sitting on his chest, curling against his side. Caleb felt himself ease into the bed a bit more, his arm falling over her like it was second nature. "I want to be here if you're going to keep having those. They seem awful." 

Caleb was pleasantly warmed by that. He should know there wasn't much a tiny goblin, a _stranger_ really, could do for him. If he was as active as she said in his fitful sleep, she'd only end up getting hurt if she stayed in the bed with him. But... Nott wasn't a stranger to him. For whatever reason, Nott didn't feel like a stranger at all. So he let out a soft breath and shut his eyes, letting himself drift off once more, this time gladly waking to a still sleeping Nott and apparently no unpleasant dreams to report.

••

Nott seemed similar to Caleb with how comfortable she was in the castle. Similar, but not the same. He just felt like he didn't belong there. The woods felt much more suited for someone like him. Nott? She seemed a lot more skittish lately. Like she expected everyone who came within twenty feet was planning on attacking her. She kept hidden, kept quiet, off to the side where no one would notice. She also kept her mask on around the other people of the castle, but not when alone with Caleb, which is something he noticed rather quickly. 

Caleb couldn't blame her. She was a goblin. There were very little places she could go that _wouldn't_ be like enemy territory for her. From the stories he heard, even her own clan would be somewhat like enemy territory. They didn't care for their own very well. 

Caleb was only glad the children seemed to like her. Johanna especially, but the twins also seemed curiously interested. Well, not both twins, exactly. Caleb was just too used to referring to them as a pair that he sometimes forgot they were individuals. It was really _Ollie_ who was more interested than Julia was. The female half of the pair was just there because her brother was. 

Caleb at first dismissed it as children being children. They see something new and they're drawn towards it. He couldn't imagine the children of Whitestone were very familiar with a creature usually seen as such a danger. But as time went on, the look in Ollie's eyes when he looked at Nott changed from simple curiosity to... Something else.

"Do you always wear a mask?" Ollie had asked Nott. 

It was an odd day. The twins had burst into the room, which wasn't the odd part, and Ollie asked to see Nott specifically. The goblin wasn't sure why, clearly, but scrambled up to sit next to Caleb as Ollie sat down on the other side of the redhead. Julia roamed about the room, seemingly uninterested.

"Uh... Not always..." Nott prodded at the porcelain face. "But sometimes."

"Does it make you feel safer?" 

"Sometimes, yes," Nott spoke hesitantly, squirming where she sat. "Why?"

"I was just wondering..." The boy shrugged a bit, toying with a pendant around his neck that Caleb remembers him always having. "Does the mask... Work? Does it help?"

"Kind of?" Nott turned a bit away as she slipped it off, still somewhat hiding her face. "If you glance at me really fast, you might just think I'm a halfling."

"Do you want to look like a halfling... Because it makes sense with your size?"

"N-No..." Nott hesitated again. 

"You really just want to look like a halfling... Always..." 

"Yes..." Nott looked at Ollie finally, slipping on the mask really quickly. "Why?"

"Because I really want to look like myself," the boy said, his voice soft and sad. Caleb and Nott both continued to stare at him, confused and a bit concerned. When Caleb glanced up at Julia, he noticed she had stopped roaming and was glaring daggers at him. 

"What do you mean, Ollie?" Caleb asked slowly, tearing his gaze away from Julia. She was putting him on edge, which should be ridiculous seeing that she was just thirteen years old. "What do you want to look like?"

"I already look like it," Ollie shrugged a bit. "But..." And with that, he slipped his pendant off.

Both Caleb and Nott startled as his form shimmered and sucked into the pendant, leaving someone different behind. There had a young tiefling boy. He had blue, human-looking eyes and somewhat long, dark brown hair like his sister, but his skin was a deep shade of red and he has horns curled to the side of his head. A tail had wrapped itself around his waist. Ollie shrunk back on himself, glancing at them timidly, like he expected them to lash out. Caleb glanced at Julia again. She didn't seem surprised. She just continued to glare at them, clearly giving them a warning.

"I don't... Always look like it..." Ollie finished in a tiny voice, his hands clutching the necklace. 

Both Caleb and Nott were speechless for a moment. Ollie, Percival the fourth, was always such a... _normal_ child. And with two human parents, it seemed insane that he could even exist. Though neither of them wanted to say anything harsh towards him, the burning glare from Julia across the room made them search for words that couldn't be taken as an insult.

"Uh... You... Uh... You _want_ to look like that or-?"

"No!" Ollie reached up and tugged harshly at his horns. Julia was at his side in a split second, muttering to him in a voice too soft to understand and gently prying his hands away. "I _don't_!"

"Okay okay!" Nott scrambled across Caleb's lap and slowly placed a hand on his bicep. "Ollie, it's alright."

"It's not," The boy croaked a bit, his hands clasped in his sister's to keep him from assaulting himself. "It's not alright. I hate this. It's why I wear the necklace."

"Where did you get it?" Caleb asked, picking it up from the floor where Ollie had dropped it when he'd started to pull at his horns. He was honestly surprised he hadn't known it was magic. Then again, why would he suspect it was? "Illusionary magic is usually a bit hard to come by."

"M-My Uncle Gilmore gave it to me," Ollie muttered. "For my tenth birthday."

"Did he think you needed it?" Nott was recoiling a bit, seeming like she was about to get angry.

"No, he doesn't think I need it," Ollie shook his head, thankfully, which made Nott relax. "I just asked for it. And I had Gregory charm him for me since he's better at it."

"He doesn't need it," Julia grumbled. "You really don't, Olls."

"I like it," Ollie looked about, relaxing a bit once he saw Caleb was holding the pendant. "It makes me look more like you guys."

"So you want to look like your siblings," Nott clarified, which Ollie nodded to. "That's okay, you know. As long as... You weren't bullied or anything and that's why you want to look different. Unless you were..."

"No, I wasn't bullied," Ollie shook his head again. "My Dad didn't really let me out of the castle before then."

"Why not?" 

"Because he was scared."

"Of _you_?"

"Of how the world would treat me," Ollie moved like he was going to reach for his horns again, but Julia kept his hands in a tight grip. "He told me everything when my uncle gave me the pendant at our birthday party. When he saw what it was and why I wanted it, he pulled me aside and Julia never lets me do anything by myself, so she came with me."

"Like you'll last ten minutes by yourself doing anything," Julia bit back playfully, earning a small smile from her brother.

"What did your dad say?" Nott prodded gently, which was thankfully enough for the boy to go on.

"Basically these people did something really awful to my dad and his family when he was young. Because he was angry and wanted revenge, a demon came to him and offered him a deal. My dad, who was young and mad and didn't know how bad of an idea this was, agreed and the demon basically latched onto him. It's gone now, it won't bother him anymore, but he can still use some of the powers it gave him.

That's why I'm a tiefling. For two... Humans to have a tiefling kid, there has to be demonically tainted blood in one or both of the bloodlines. That demon tainted my dad's blood. So, here I am. I'm basically a sign of further punishment to my dad for something he's still trying to fix." 

"Don't say that," Julia snapped lightly at him, but the boy shook his head.

"It's true. You know it's true. Dad feels so guilty about it and he didn't need more things to feel bad about." 

"Okay, so..." Nott spoke up again. "Did you want to look more human because you feel bad about your father or because you personally don't want to look that way?"

"I... Both?" Ollie furrowed his eyebrows a bit. "I-I don't get what you mean."

"Look," Nott reached and managed to somehow take Ollie's hand from his sister's, which was on the top five list of surprising things this conversation has led to. "I don't like being a goblin. I'm not comfortable being like this. Every time I look down at my hands, every time I feel my ears or my face, I know deep inside me that something is wrong. That this body? It's not me. It's not who I am. It's making me feel... Not like myself. That's why I want to change it. Not because people don't trust me or usually spit at me or attack me if I walk by."

Caleb winced a bit at that. Did Nott actually go through that stuff? He surely hoped not.

"Ollie, you're a sweet little boy. It doesn't matter if you're a tiefling, really. You don't need a magic necklace to make you different. But if the necklace is what makes you comfortable with yourself, then wear it. But don't change because of what someone else thinks. If your dad isn't happy about you being a tiefling, but you like it? Then fuck him! If _you_ don't like being a tiefling because it doesn't suit _you_ or how _you_ want yourself to look, then wear the pendant. But either way, don't be ashamed of yourself."

Ollie stared at the goblin, eyes wet with unshed tears. He took a few shaky breaths before looking at the pendant. 

"I... I..."

"I'm Veth," Nott said softly, tugging the boy's attention back to her. "My name is Veth and I'm a halfling with brown skin and brown hair. That's me. That's who I am. I don't... Look like that, but it's who I am."

The boy stared at her for a moment before shakily replying. "I... I'm Ollie de Rolo. I'm... I'm a funny mix of elf and human and I kinda look like my sister, but not really. If people say weird things about me, it's because I don't look exactly human but I don't look like an elf either. At least full-blooded elves don't think I look that elvish. That's... That's me."

"Okay," Nott squeezed his hand with a smile. 

Caleb silently reached over and slipped the pendant back on. Ollie's form shimmered and changed. His skin tone matched his mother's and his hair pretty much stayed the same, but the horns melted back into his head and the tail curled out of sight.

"_Hallo_, Ollie," Caleb said, sitting back.

"Hi..." The boy breathed, immediately hugging Nott with one arm. "Thanks."

"Of course..." Nott patted his shoulder as he pulled back. 

Not knowing what to say, they all melted into an odd silence before Julia thankfully broke it.

"I'm starving."

"Me too," her twin muttered.

A mischievous gleam lit up Julia's eyes. "Wanna see if we can sneak any Sun Treats from the Slayer's Cake?"

"Yeah!"

"I'll race you!" Julia hopped up, but Ollie jumped up faster. 

"I'll win!" The boy challenged before darting out of the room.

Instead of following, Julia hesitated for a moment, staring at where he disappeared. 

"Are you not going to go after him?" Caleb asked, slightly concerned. The twins loved each other like no other, but they were so competitive. Julia would normally have torn through the wall if it meant winning.

Julia took a breath before spinning around and scooping up Nott. The goblin gave a surprised squeak before easing into the hug the girl crushed her in. Caleb was definitely surprised. He hadn't seen Julia do something so... affectionate? At least, not to anyone outside of her brother? She gave kind of awkward hugs and Caleb hasn't even seen her kiss her mother. Yet here Julia was, squeezing Nott tightly and pressing her face against the goblin's small shoulder.

"You're such a good sister to him..." Nott patted the girl's back, or at least what the poor goblin could reach. 

"Not good enough," the girl muttered into Nott's clothing. "He wouldn't hate himself so much if I was good enough."

"No, do not say that," Caleb found himself saying. "Sometimes people have thoughts that are hard for others to have an impact on. He needs you. You know he needs you and you are there. That is more than enough."

Julia looked up at Caleb, eyes slightly rimmed with red, before giving a small nod. She placed Nott down, looking kind of sheepish, before muttering a small "Bye" and quickly disappearing after her brother, shutting the door behind her.

The remaining two sat in silence once more before Caleb shakily spoke up.

"You are Veth...?" 

Nott turned and looked at him, slightly like a startled deer. She was tense for a moment before accepting the situation and easing.

"I was, yes."

"Would you like me to call you Veth?"

Nott hesitated before shaking her head. "Not... Not yet."

Caleb nodded, blurting out his next words before his anxiety could shut him up. "I am Bren."

Nott stared at him for a moment before letting out a soft "oh".

"But not anymore, " Caleb finished, curling up on himself a bit. "So Caleb is fine."

"Okay... Hi, Caleb."

"_Hallo_, Nott."


	10. Nine - Jester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb learns about Nott's Itch the hard way. After thankfully hiding the goblin's bad habit from the de Rolos, Caleb figures it would be better allowing Nott to steal from people outside the castle instead. Not the best plan, but hey, stealing from assholes is pretty fun. 
> 
> Meanwhile, in a whole other continent, the mystery lady is at it again. Only this time, another member of Vox Machina ends up discovering the aftermath. Thank the gods Percy had sent those messages out.

It took just a little while longer before Nott finally decided to wander outside a bit more. Mainly because she was complaining about an "itch" and he would often find her guiltily holding items she's somehow found throughout the de Rolo household. 

"I just... Need to _take_ things!" Nott had tried to explain herself, letting him take the jewelry she'd swiped from who knows where within the castle. "And this place is filled with so many pretty little baubles and trinkets. I just... I _needed_ it, Caleb. I'm sorry."

Caleb had no idea how he'd managed to hide Nott's little problem from the family. Either they truly weren't noticing that things were missing or Caleb was simply getting good at sneaking things back where they belonged before they had a chance to question. But, of course, enough became enough after a period of time.

"You cannot take things from Johanna!" Caleb took the small, painted metal flower from Nott's sheepishly outstretched hand. It had a button on the side that allowed the petals to open and unfold like it was blooming before shutting again. "You should not take things from any of them, but certainly not her! Small children with siblings always notice if something they have is missing! I have seen it myself!"

"You have siblings?" Nott attempted to ask, trying to change the subject, but Caleb just shook his head.

"You must put this back," he pressed the trinket back into Nott's hands. "If you are caught, make up a lie or something."

"I'm so sorry, Caleb," Nott fiddled with the little toy, making it bloom and watching as it shrunk back to a little bud. "I just... I can't..."

They fell into a helpless silence before Caleb drew back and took a breath.

"I think it is time we get out of the house," he pushed himself off his bed and stood, ignoring Nott's wide-eyed stare at his back. "I had been living with the de Rolos for a month and five days before I went outside. That was when I met you."

"I kept you from going outside again?" Nott's voice was small and guilty in the corner. 

"_Nein_... Well... I did not want to go back out anyway. I would probablyy get robbed again."

"So why are we going outside now?"

Caleb felt bad about this idea. This was Percy and Vex's city and it felt wrong to release a... Nott into it for this reason. Still, it might be better than letting jewelry that is who knows how old fall into Nott's hands, where she'll probably cause more problems.

"To help with your need," Caleb finally decided it was their only option. "But we need rules. You cannot steal from children or the elderly."

Nott's eyes went wide and she sputtered a little before clasping her fingers together, looking away sheepishly. "I... I wouldn't steal from a child.."

_Well, you did, but alright..._ Caleb couldn't help but think. "Or the elderly."

"Or the elderly," she nodded, staring at her hands. "I... Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"_Nein_, but it is the only idea I have," Caleb slipped his coat on before holding his hand out to Nott. "We cannot have you stealing from the de Rolos like this. Just... Stick to- ah- flashy people?"

"Flashy people?"

"People who dress all, you know, _teuer_. Uh... Like they have a lot of money."

"Oh, okay."

"And only the flashy ones who are kind of assholes."

"I can do that," Nott pressed her mask closer to her face, tugging at her hood before taking Caleb's hand. "Flashy assholes. That'll be fun."

And it was fun. They used tricks they both had an odd knack for with odd code names they both seemed to understand without much explanation. By the time it was getting dark, around about 8:25 pm, they returned with innocent smiles and pockets full of coins, jewelry, and even random little objects that would seem meaningless to steal. Nott's grin was a bit hidden by her mask, but her eyes were shining. Caleb was glad she was happy.

••

A lone figure set another down in the sand of the deserts. The second figure seemed unconscious, sprawled out in the sand as the standing figure set a bag next to her. The weight of the bag hitting the ground woke the sleeping figure.

"Wha...?" Their slurred voice rang out in the dark, their form sitting up and turning to the other figure. "Who... Are you? Where am I?"

"Civilization is that way," the female figure pointed in a direction. "The Traveler would love to see you go there."

"The Traveler?!" The smaller figure hopped up, suddenly quite lively. "You know the Traveler?! Well, of course you do, he's _so_ cool! Did he tell you to bring me here? Why didn't he tell me? Oh! He probably wanted me to be surprised! He's really nice, you know!"

The mysterious figure gave a small smile before giving the girl a pat on the cheek. "Just make sure you go quickly. The desert isn't fun during the day, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the night while it lasts."

"Okay okay okay!" The girl looked and scooped up the bag that was set next to her. "Thank you so so much! I'll go and get there really fast, okay? Bye!"

And just like that, she was gone.

••

The young girl didn't really remember much about her journey through the desert. She does remember that it got _really_ hot once the sun came up, even if the sunrise in the desert was really pretty. She didn't really mind the hot too much until it became too much and she got really tired. There was water and a tent and stuff in the bag the nice lady had given her, but she ended up going through the water really quickly and the tent only made her feel hotter.

She remembered falling asleep just outside the tent, trying to curl in some kind of shadow the tent made and ignore the burning sand underneath her. She remembered pure, peaceful darkness before hearing a voice. It was singing to her.

"You feel like your on fiiirrre~! You feel like your on fiiirrree~! But you're not on fiirree..." 

She wanted to giggle at the silly song. It was sure. She did feel super hot and like her body was melting into whatever she was laying on. But the song made her feel better for whatever reason. 

Feeling in her body slowly began to return as breathing became easier. She eventually was able to open her eyes. Things were really fuzzy and weird for a moment. She had no idea where she was and it was hard to focus on anything, but a gentle tap on her cheek drew her attention and thankfully led to a face she could focus on.

"Hey," the voice she realized was singing to her was whispering softly now. She focused real hard on the face and realized the face was of what she thought was a little kid but quickly figured out it was an older guy with a really little body. "Hey there!" He said with a grin. "You okay?"

She stared at him for a moment before remembering what the lady had said. "Do you... Work... For... The Traveler?" she rasped out, noticing her throat was feeling like it had become part of the desert itself.

"The who?" The little man leaned forward as if he couldn't hear her properly.

"The Traveler..." She coughed this time. "The... Lady said... Said..."

"Sh, hun, we'll figure it out later. Don't worry about it," another voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A girl who also looked young only because she was short reached over and patted her cheek. "Lionel, water. Go get her some water."

Water... That would be so nice.

"Oh, yeah, okay," the guy she guessed was called 'Lionel' rushed off.

"You know the Traveler?" The girl tried again, but her voice was so dry and it was hard to speak as loudly as she was used to. 

"The what?" The man leaned forward again.

"The Trav-" she burst into a coughing fit, grasping at her throat. Talking was starting to hurt.

The man winced and drew back, refusing to speak with her again. Every time she tried to talk either him or the other girl would just shush her and ignore the weak pouting they'd get in response. 

Lionel did finally return with a waterskin. He held it steady at first so she could drink from it, but after a few mouthfuls, she was able to hold it herself. She completely forgot about breathing for a moment, but thankfully the short woman tugged it away which reminded her to breathe. 

"Ugh, that's _so_ much better..." She groaned, allowing the short woman to take the skin away. "My throat felt like I had actual sand in it, you guys." 

"Yeah?" The short man leaned forward, giving an award-winning smile. "Well, now that we got all that sand out, you think you can tell us what you're doing in the desert by yourself?"

"I was trying to get to the town the Lady said was nearby..." The girl huffed softly, looking down at her hands. Her normally blue skin was darker from sun exposure. "It wasn't nearby at all, by the way. I was out there for, like, _days_."

"A lady brought you here?" The woman asked, giving the man a look. She looked younger than him but still alike, so maybe they were related. "What did she look like?"

"Oh! She was so-" the girl almost immediately burst into cheerful chatter before she cut herself off with a frown. What did she look like again?

"She had-" she made a gesture that was meant to be 'Long hair' but curled her hands in at the last minute, clearly questioning herself. Did she even see her hair? It was so dark... "Uh..."

"Take your time," The man assured her, but she shook her head quickly.

"I saw her..." She huffed, frowning harder. "I just... Don't remember what she looked like..."

"Are you sure it wasn't the heat?" Lionel suggested. "I see things when I'm really hot."

"No no no!" She rubbed her face, groaning softly. "It was an actual lady! I just..."

"Well, what did she say?" The man waved his hand, getting her attention again. "We'll talk about who she is in a minute, what did she tell you? Did you know her for long?"

"Uhm..." The girl fiddled with her fingers. "I... Actually don't think I know her. I kinda woke up in the desert and she told me the Traveler wanted me to meet his other followers-"

"Who's the Traveler?" Lionel asked, looking intrigued. 

"So you don't know him..." The girl sagged a bit. 

"So... Wait. Did this lady give you anything?" The man leaned forward once more, more serious than he's looked this entire time. "Do you remember coming here or did you wake up here?"

"She gave me supplies for like a day, but I was out there for more than that..." The girl answered, frowning at her hands still. "I woke up here... She told me to find civilization and kinda disappeared... But I don't remember much."

The man nodded before telling Lionel to get a room set up for the girl to stay in. "You can call me Scanlan," the short man held his hand out for her, which she eagerly took and shook. "This is my daughter and this my friend, Lionel. You're in Ank'Harel, but I'll be taking you somewhere a little more comfortable in a little while."

The woman, his daughter, gave Scanlan an odd look but didn't say anything when he gave her a look in return. The girl decided to ignore it, figuring it was just a thing parents do with their kids. She had moments of talking to her Mama without actually saying anything. It was really cool, sometimes. 

"Uh, okay!" the peppy girl grinned easily, her tail beginning to swish behind her to show her eagerness. "Hi, Scanlan! I'm Jester."


	11. Ten - Ravens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over in Ank'Harel, Jester is finding more about what Scanlan plans for her. She's also learning a lot about Scanlan himself.
> 
> Back in Whitestone, Caleb and Ollie bond a bit over magic and Caleb finds himself connecting with Vex on a level neither of them could have foreseen.

Jester liked Ank'Harel quite a bit. It was such a huge and pretty city with good food and nice clothes that Scanlan gave her since her own clothes were dirty and not great for the heat. Scanlan apparently has a weird business where he's called the Meat Man. He won't tell her really any of the details, which is kinda annoying, but she didn't really mind when she noticed all the pretty things he had.

"They're... Nice... But you can't have them," Kaylie had said as she swiped the jewel filled necklace out of Jester's hands. "We need them. You know, for business."

It seemed like a really boring business since all he and Kaylie seem to do is disappear and talk to people. Jester would have been heavily reminded of how her life was back at home if Lionel didn't take her out every once in a while and show her around. She really enjoyed the couple of days she spent there, especially since she could enjoy it wouldn't dying of heatstroke. 

"Scaaaanlaaan," Jester knocked on the gnome's bedroom door, also hidden away in the shop as well as the meeting rooms and such. 

"Jester..." Scanlan's voice came from behind the door. "I told you to only call me by my alias when we're in the shop."

"But we're always in the shop!" Jester said simply, trying to open the door. It was locked. "What's the point of knowing your name if I can never use it? Anyway, can I come inside?"

The door unlocked and Jester eagerly slipped inside. The gnome was without his disguise and in more casual clothing with a stack of papers on his desk. He still smiled easily at her as she shut and locked the door behind her, as he always requested. 

"Hey, Scanlan!"

"Oi, Jester. What's up?"

"Sooo, you said you would take me somewhere more comfortable when I first got here..." Jester ran her fingers over the chain that connected her horn to a hoop on the shell of her ear.

"Uh, yeah, I did. Do you want to leave?"

"No no no!" Jester rushed to explain herself. "I was just wondering what you meant!"

"I got what you meant," Scanlan gave her a wave, still smiling as usual. "No, I just needed to send a letter to a friend of mine. He's kinda the lord of the place I'd like to take you."

"A _LORD_!?" Jester's eyes widened as she shuffled forward in curiosity. "You're friends with a lord? For real? The lord of what? Wait... We're going to anywhere in Marquet, are we?"

"Nope," Scanlan responded to her last question first and had wandered back to his desk within the time of her amazement. He'd turned his chair so he was sort of facing her but clearly also trying to do whatever paperwork he had set up. "We're going to my home continent. Tal'Dorei. He's the lord of a town there called Whitestone. And yes, he's a real lord and I'm truly friends with him. He's more of a brother to me, really." 

"That's _SO_ cool!" Jester rushed over to try and see any sign of the letter. Scanlan held out a hand to stop her, but his short arm didn't do much. "When are we going?! Can we go now?! Is Whitestone really pretty? I've never been outside the Nicodranas before! Or even my _house_, really! Well, maybe until now, but this is still really super cool!" 

"I already sent the letter," Scanlan shoved some of his papers back as if keeping them out of view. "We can get there quite quickly, but I'd prefer to wait until he actually gets the letter before we show up."

"Wait... If you can get there so quickly..." Jester gave up on peeking into what Scanlan was writing and rocked on her heels instead. "Why didn't you just go there, tell him, and come back?"

Scanlan stared at her for a moment, a grin spreading across her face as she realized exactly what that blank look meant. He quickly shook his head and turned away from her completely.

"I didn't want to leave Kaylie here alone," he said quickly. "She hates it when I disappear. And when I get there, I'm probably gonna wanna stay a little while, it just wouldn't be fair." His words were convincing, but part of her knew it wasn't true. 

_It took a liar to know a liar..._

"Soooo, how long until he gets it?" She decided to have some mercy and change the subject a little. 

"Well, going from here to Tal'Dorei takes about two weeks-"

"TWO WEEKS?!"

"-buuuut," Scanlan turned to look at her over his shoulder with a smirk. "I sent it the day you arrived, so you won't have to wait that long."

"That's still a super long time..." Jester pouted a bit. "And won't we have to wait for him to respond?"

"My men will tell me when it's delivered," Scanlan simply replied. "We'll wait another day afterward and then go."

Jester 'hmphed' again before deciding to go into something else. "Is Whitestone super cool? How'd you make friends with a lord?"

"I actually knew him _before_ he was a lord," Scanlan spoke as he continued to scribble on the papers on his desk. "So I knew him before he was cool."

"How'd you meet him? How long have you known him?"

"I don't think he'd appreciate me talking about our meeting," Scanlan said hesitantly. "As for how long we've known each other... Damn, how old is Vesper again?" 

"Who's Vesper?"

"Percy, the lord,'s firstborn," Scanlan said before leaning back into his chair to think. "Johanna's like... Five now so Vesper must be... Fifteen?" His face brightened as the answer finally clicked, but his face turned almost distant directly after. "Holy shit, she's fifteen... I need to visit more often. It feels like Vex was pregnant with the twins only yesterday..."

"So you knew him for fifteen years?!" 

"No," Scanlan shook his head, pulling himself from his mind. "Longer than that. I was just using her as a point of reference. Maybe... Twenty years at the most."

"Twenty years?!" Jester yelped. "Seriously?!"

"Oh yes," Scanlan said with a smile. "I don't look that old, huh? That's just a gnomish thing. It means I'll get to look this dashing for many years to come. I'm already going to enter my first century in about a decade or so."

"Century?! You mean a hundred years?!"

"That's... What century means, yes." 

"Holy shit! And you're going to live longer than that?!"

"For a good few more centuries, yeah." 

"Holy SHIT!" 

Scanlan smiled to himself. He thinks he might have successfully distracted her from the whole Whitestone business. Only problem now was she wasn't ready to let go of the talking just yet. Mr. Shorthalt didn't get that much work done that day, but at least she wasn't worried about Whitestone.

•••

Caleb certainly enjoyed the library that the castle of Whitestone had. Once he had gathered the courage to actively seek it out that is. He knew he spent too much time in there but he couldn't help it. There were so many books about so many things. Not a lot about magic and such but it wasn't like he expected there to be any in the first place. He did learn quite a bit about the history of Whitestone, including more recent books that spoke of the fall of the de Rolos and how a band of heroes called Vox Machina, which included a directly related de Rolo, had managed to pry Whitestone from the horrid grip of the evil that ruled over it for about five years. 

Reading small writings and seeing different interpretations of Vox Machina was... An experience. Some accounts were dreadfully real and spoke of the horrors of those heavy days and some were a bit dramatized, surely. How would a dinosaur get into a house in the first place? And, as far as he knew, gnomes weren't capable of breathing fire. The imaginations of people these days...

He wasn't sure when little de Rolo the fourth joined him but the boy did soon appear. At first, Caleb didn't pay him much mind. This was the boy's home after all. But soon it became obvious that the boy was interested in whatever the redhead was doing.

"_Hallo..._" Caleb glanced at Ollie who had nearly stretched himself across the table to peek at the book Caleb was reading. 

"Oh, hi," the boy flushed a bit before planting himself back in the seat he'd dragged up. "I'm sorry, I'm annoying aren't I?"

"Ah, I'd say distracting, not annoying," Caleb leaned back from his book. "Do you... Need this book or- or want it?" 

"No..."

"Then... What do you need, Ollie?"

"I'm just..." Ollie squirmed a bit before finally speaking. "You're reading books about magic and stuff."

"_J-Ja_..." 

"Does that... Can you _do_ all that magic and stuff?" 

Caleb hesitated for a moment. His latest magical activities have mainly been placing his string around the room he and Nott share. He hasn't done anything arcane related in a while. Frumpkin was his last big thing, which reminds him that he should really go out and summon his poor familiar again. 

"Ah... Yes," Caleb finally spoke, realizing the silence had stretched for too long and Ollie was starting to look nervous. His answer did make the child brighten a little, but just a bit.

"Can... Um..." 

_Oh no..._ Caleb had an idea of what the boy was asking.

"You know, tieflings have their own magic," he cut into the boy's stammering, trying to seem nonchalant as he pushed the subject just a bit off course. 

Ollie perked up, chewing his lip for a moment as glancing elsewhere before speaking softly. "Yeah, I... I've heard. I've seen. A little. With my aunt, Zhara, and my cousins. They're tieflings too."

"Your aunt?"

"Not blood aunt," Ollie shrugged timidly. "Like... Like Pike or Keyleth aunt. She and Uncle Kash are really good friends with my parents and the rest of Vox Machina."

"Ah," Caleb looked back down at his book, flipping the page to hopefully keep up the image. He hopes Ollie didn't notice that he'd gone backward. "Well, have you tried any of that."

"No. I... I don't know if I want to."

"You want different magic? It might be easier to- to learn different, ah, things once you've... You've mastered what you have."

Ollie squirmed a bit again. "But... It's weird that an elven kid can do... Infernal magic."

"It doesn't have to be," Caleb looked up at Ollie again. "You could just say you learned it elsewhere. I do a lot of things fire-related."

"You do?" That lightened up the child's mood a bit more. Caleb was a bit disappointed that the conversation had turned back to him, which was kind of his fault, but decided switching things wasn't worth upsetting the boy again. "What kind of fire things?"

Caleb had backed himself into a bit of a corner, so he decided to just give in. He spoke a little bit about the magic he can do. He spoke a bit of the fire, a bit of the detecting and identifying. It was enough to keep Ollie happy and he was a bit surprised to see how utterly enthralled he was.

"You said your brother charmed your Uncle into making your locket, _ja_?" Caleb pointed out after he'd spoken about everything he was comfortable with speaking about. "Surely you can learn a bit from them."

"I don't know," Ollie propped his elbows on the table and sighed. "Magic is so _cool_ but I just don't _get it_."

"If you really want to get it, I'm sure you'll figure it out," Caleb had abandoned his book and gave the young noble a cautious pat on the arm. "You- You are the smart type. I can tell."

Ollie gave a shy smile that Caleb returned. "Thanks, Mr. Caleb."

"Caleb is fine," the redhead drew back a bit and scanned the room. "Where... Where is your sister? I don't think I've ever seen you two apart."

"Oh, we're usually not," Ollie leaned back and looked as well, almost like he was expecting her to be hiding somewhere. "She just decided to sleep in and I got bored." Caleb caught a mischievous gleam in his eye as the boy stood up. "I'm... I'm gonna check and see if she's still asleep."

Caleb hid a wince as something deep in him that he wasn't familiar with recognized the sound of a sibling plotting against their sibling. He made him worry and he fully expected to hear some sort of shout or cry very soon. Hopefully, there would be no one caught in the crossfire. 

Just as Ollie went to leave, Vex'ahlia slipped in through the doorway. The boy gave his mother a quick "hello" before squeezing past her and slipping out with purpose a young teen should have no business having and would only lead to trouble. The expression on her face was both fond and exasperated, a look Caleb remembers seeing on his own mother quite a few times. 

"Hello there, Caleb," Vex'ahlia came over to where he had hunkered down, his books sitting in piles around him. "Mind if I sit with you for a moment?"

"Of course not," Caleb gestured to the chair her son once occupied before grabbing his book again.

The two sat in comfortable silence until: "He's named for my brother, you know."

Caleb lifted his head and looked at the Lady of Whitestone. She seemed to almost have a thousand-yard stare as she looked in the direction her eldest son had disappeared in. Caleb frowned a little, pulling memories up from the depths of his mind to aid him. 

Lady Vex'ahlia, Baroness of the Third House of Whitestone and Mistress of the Grey Hunt. Wife to Lord Percival Frederickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III. Member of Vox Machina. Mother to the five De Rolo children of Whitestone, including Vesper Elaine de Rolo.

What was he missing...? 

Oh.

Twin sister to Vax'ildan Vessar, champion of the Raven Queen.

"I thought he was named after Percy..." Caleb managed to reply after the beats of silence it took for Caleb to remember properly. It was honestly confusing with the younger twin. He went by Ollie, which had nothing to do with his first name, which made it hard for really anyone to remember his name. Except for Caleb, but then again, it did tend to slip his mind every once in a while. 

Vex'ahlia gave a smile with a look in her eyes that Caleb could only describe as... Pain. Not anything heavy. Just a dull ache that refused to let up, no matter what. Caleb knew that ache quite well, though it wasn't as aged as it was for the woman beside him.

"He is," Vex lowered her arm from where it propped itself underneath her chin. "Percival the fourth is what many people of Whitestone know him as. But that's only a piece of his name."

"Vesper told me the names of all your children are built from pieces of the names of loved ones." 

"She's right," Vex gave a small shrug. "I think it's a nice way to remember those we've lost. Though I don't want them to feel like they have to be like their namesakes. It's why I lovingly call my little Percival 'Ollie'. He prefers it and it suits him."

"So, what's his full name if 'Percival' is only a piece?" Caleb asked.

Vex'ahlia drew in a shaky breath before answering. "Percival Frederickstein Oliver Vax'ildan de Rolo IV."

Caleb watched as she brushed away some strands of hair that were falling in her face. "I did want to name one of my children after him. My Vax. He deserved to be remembered as more than the champion of death. Because he was so much more than that. I just... I looked at Ollie when he was first born and I saw him. That's so odd for... Reasons but as he got older, it became so clear that he's Vax's nephew. The way he talks sometimes, the look in his eyes when he's about to do something stupid that he _knows_ is stupid. Like just now, actually. Perhaps it's just because he looks more like me since Vax and I did look very similar..."

Caleb tried to picture Vax'ildan Vessar, brother of Lady Vex'ahlia, Champion of the Raven Queen. He supposed it wasn't difficult to imagine a more masculine version of Vex, but maybe it was rude to use her as a reference. Vax'ildan was his own person, after all.

"I just couldn't do it," Vex's voice had dropped to almost a whisper. "I couldn't name him Vax'ildan. I don't know why. I wanted to. Vax will always be a piece of me and so will my children. That may sound weird, but I just... I don't know."

"You didn't need to," Caleb's voice had dropped to match her volume. He wasn't quite sure why. 

"I know," Vex lifted her hands and covered her face, her voice becoming slightly muffled. "I know. But for so long, I'd planned it. I'd told Percival if we have a boy, we're naming him after Vax. One child named for my mother and the other for my brother. Percy or the rest of Vox Machina could name the others whatever strange things they wanted. As long as I had an Elaine and a Vax I would be happy."

"Vesper has your mother's name as her middle name," Caleb said gently. "Why was Vax'ildan any different? Why did it have to be the first name?" 

Vex shook her head a bit. She sniffed and lowered her hands, her fingers quickly pressing against her eyes and wiping away any wetness. 

"Vax'ildan has always been different for me," Vex let her arms fold in front of her. "Always. I guess it was just because we were twins, but Percy always said his siblings weren't as attached to each other as Vax and I were. Maybe it's just how we grew up. Maybe we were always meant to be bonded in that way."

Caleb let the silence fall over them like a blanket. Vex kept her head ducked, hiding any sign of tears or redness in her eyes. Caleb fidgeted and squeezed his fingers. Part of him wanted to comfort her and another wanted to flee. 

"Our mother always told us the same story about when we were born whenever we'd fight and say we hated each other," Vex softly broke the silence after a moment or two. "Vax was born two minutes before me because he was protecting me. He wanted to make sure the outside world was safe for me to come into. So when he came and our mother held him, he continued to shriek and wail for the entirety of those two minutes until I came. He almost seemed to sense that I was born, because the moment I let out my cry of life, he stopped and calmed down. I only cried until Mother held me and I was with my brother again. Then we were born perfectly fine."

The thought of that seemed logically impossible, but it still made Caleb's chest tighten slightly. 

"Vax would take that story and mold it into his own that he told as if he remembered our months inside our mother," Vex continued on, her voice thick with emotion. "He'd say we were the same soul in the very beginning. We would have stayed the same if I hadn't wanted to be a girl and he hadn't wanted to be a boy. Because of this we split and had two different bodies. But we were still the same, still the same person, just different in our own way. I know it's ridiculous, but it was nice. It meant there was never a me without him or a him without me. We had the same soul deep inside and there just couldn't be one without the other. We were the same and we were each other's only." 

Caleb felt his eyes burn and he turned away a little bit. He'd never feel that way about another person. Not because he didn't deserve it, though he didn't, but because that was a love that you can't build. Vex and Vax'ildan were their own beings and one being at the same time. There was no building that kind of a connection with another person. That's a bond that simply just... Is. The way Vex was telling it to him felt so raw and vulnerable. It was so odd seeing the lady like this, but he didn't have the heart to shy away from this and not let her release whatever she was holding in. 

"I think of him when I look at Ollie," her glossy eyes looked back towards the door the boy in question had left through. "Ollie likes his hair long and decorated and he's thin and scrawny. Like Vax. Seeing him with Julia makes me think of ourselves when we were children. Seeing them curled in the same crib together as little ones, even if I'd placed them in separate cribs the night before. Seeing the look Julia gives anyone who looks remotely threatening, always reaching to protect Ollie before anything else. Seeing Ollie cling to her when he's upset, sometimes even refusing my comfort in favor of his twin's. They are so close and it warms my heart. But it... It makes me miss him so much."

With that, the Baroness' voice cracks and her grief starts to somehow flow from her even more. Caleb reaches and grabs one of the hands that was reaching to cover her mouth. He squeezes it and she lets out a sob. 

"I try so hard not to let it show how much I miss him. I don't want to look at my son and only see my brother. I want to see _Ollie_, not _Vax_. Because Ollie's Ollie and that's all he'll ever be," Vex stumbled and babbled through her tears, but Caleb only gripped at her hand and let her speak. 

"But I can't... I can't help it. Seeing them blow their candles out together on their birthday, but then having my birthday come along and having the blow the candles out myself. It feels so _wrong_. It was never meant to be only me. He was supposed to _be here_. He was supposed to teach my children how to handle daggers and give me heart attacks. He was supposed to be here to physically guard my daughters, not watch them from beyond. He was supposed to marry Keyleth and have his own children, maybe another pair of twins. It's just... It's so _unfair_."

Vex'ahlia slumped forward a bit more, shoulders shaking as she tried to muffle her sobs with her free hand. Caleb still held tightly onto her other hand, using his own free hand to wipe away any wetness from his own face. After a good few minutes, he turned to look at her as she was pulling herself together again. He fumbled around and found a clean cloth in his pocket, offering it to her. She took it with a weak, barely-there smile and began wiping away the signs of her grief.

"If I may..." Caleb spoke in a slightly hoarse tone once Vex was more collected. "But... Are you alive right now? Are you living, breathing?"

Vex seemed confused. "I... Suppose... Why?"

"Is your heart beating? Are you still alive, Vex'ahlia?" 

"Y... Yes..."

Caleb reached and took both her hands, one still clutching the makeshift handkerchief. He squeezed them both and looked her in the eyes.

"Then he is here."

Vex blinked at him, seemingly surprised and still so very confused.

"What? I'm sorry, I don't think I understand."

"You said it yourself," Caleb spoke softly still. "One cannot be without the other. You two are one of a kind and one and the same. You both share the same soul, so how could one live without the other? It is impossible. So that only means one thing. He is here. He is with you. He is there when your children hold each other and cherish the other like they cannot live without them because he knows how important it is to be there for your sibling. He is there when you feel alone because he was always so good at hiding from sight. He is there, blowing out the candles of your birthday cake beside you, but you both are so in sync that you do not notice he is even helping. He is still with you, Vex. Even if you cannot see or hold him like you used to, that does not make him gone." 

Vex's eyes seemed to grow far away for a moment, almost like deep in memory. Tears fill her red and swollen eyes once more.

Caleb doesn't even know what the hell he's doing at this point. He had no idea where all of that came from. But it was out there now and he quickly finds himself brushing away the tears that roll down her cheeks.

"He loves you so, so much, Vex," Caleb felt as though his words weren't fully his own, but he did not fight it. He knew it needed to be said. "So much. He would never go far from you. And he hasn't. So do not yearn for him too much, because he is always there."

Vex let out another sob before surging forward and embracing the red-haired boy in front of her. Caleb froze at first but soon found himself returning the embrace, squeezing her fiercely. Vex's sobs weren't as audible as last time, but Caleb could feel her body shudder from it. He didn't dare say a word, all the confidence to say what he'd just said having suddenly left him and now he didn't know what more to do other than hold her. 

After another few moments, Vex pulled back and hastily wiped her face with the same cloth once more. 

"I... I am sorry, I-" Caleb sputtered and tried to apologize, but Vex quickly pulled him in and placed a kiss against his cheek.

"Don't, darling," her own voice was hoarse now. "Please... Thank you. I... I think you're right. I think I already knew that. I just needed to hear it again to confirm, I suppose." 

"Well, I... am happy to help..." Caleb squirmed a bit, the awkwardness starting to set in.

"Yes..." Vex blinked a few times before standing up. "I'll leave you to your reading, then, dear. Sorry for interrupting you."

"It was no problem at all."

Vex nearly left it at that. But she hesitated at the door and turned, giving Caleb a slightly more noticeable smile. 

"Thank you, Caleb, dear."

"Of course."

With that, she was gone. 

Caleb let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair, scratching absentmindedly at his scalp before leaning forward to turn his attention back to his book. That action seemed to trigger something, seeing that a black blur fell in front of his vision. Pulling back, startled, Caleb quickly realized it was nothing dangerous and picked it up to inspect it.

"A raven's feather?" Caleb mused aloud, turning it gently in his fingers and feeling the texture with the fingers of the opposite hand. "How odd."


	12. Eleven - Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scanlan's letter about Jester finally reaches Whitestone. About a day later, Hurricane Jester finally arrived to the quiet town. Finally, another piece of the puzzle has appeared.

Percy wasn't sure what he was expecting when he sent letters and messages out to Vox Machina about the Fated kids they were looking out for. Maybe messages of affirmation or want for details. So when he got a letter arrived from Marquet, from Scanlan - _He thought Scanlan wasn't working as the Meat Man anymore, but alright..._ -, he wasn't _all_ that surprised. The contents of the letter, however, were a different story.

_Dear Lord and Lady de Rolo_, it began.

"Oh for heaven's sake..."

_<strike>I'm pleased to announce that I have received your letter regarding the Fated children and am eager to inform you that I've</strike> Okay, nevermind, I'm not writing like that the entire time. I'm tired._

Percy gave a small sigh, of relief or exasperation it was unclear, and looked up when the door opened.

"Busy, darling?" Vex'ahlia shut the door behind her as she stepped into Percival's office. 

"Scanlan wrote us a letter," Percy gestured to the paper in his hand as Vex rounded the desk and draped herself over his shoulder to read it. Percy simply began reading it out loud.

_Percy, Vex. Long time no see. I got your letter a week ago. I'll admit, I'm a little disappointed our Fated marks aren't an Us Only thing. We don't have a lot of things that are only ours. _

_The reason I'm writing is that I'm pretty sure I've found one of your Fated kids. Lionel decided to visit and was out wandering the desert - For old times sake, I guess - and found her earlier this afternoon. She's a blue tiefling named Jester and she seems young enough to be the reincarnation of Vecna if the timing was just right._

"He does know Vecna isn't dead, right?" Vex muttered, earning a tired sigh from her husband. 

"He thinks he made a good joke, dear, let him have this."

_She was half-dead when we found her, but after we got her hydrated and stuff, she talked about this lady who dropped her off in the deserts the night before. She also talks about someone called The Traveller, apparently he's a god or something, but I don't know how relevant that is to what you're looking for._

_I'll keep her with me until she's in better traveling condition, and until you get this letter as a heads up, but then I'll get her right over. She's a fun one, really. I think you'll like her. _

_With love, _

_Burt Reynolds._

"He found one already?" Vex straightened up once it was finished, taking the letter from Percy's hands to take another look.

"Caleb found Nott relatively quickly," Percy leaned back in his chair, craning his head to follow his wife's movements. "And her story checks out."

"Jester..." Vex'ahlia voiced out the name of this new, strange girl. "I didn't know tieflings could be blue. This should be interesting."

•••

"Caleb! Caleb! Look!"

Caleb's mind was ripped from his book as two golden eyes appeared in front of his eyes. With a startled blink, Caleb pulled back a little to take in the entirety of Nott.

"What is it, _liebling_?" He frowned as she tugged her shirt down from over her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"You didn't feel it?" Nott looked at him astonished. When she tugged down her shirt some more, the very top of her bicep, near her shoulder, was a tiny image.

"_Was...?_" Caleb leaned forward, gently pulling Nott closer. 

It was a... A paintbrush. A paintbrush with pink paint dripping from the tip, the paint shining like it was filled with glitter. Running a thumb over the mark, it had no texture, like the mark on his shoulder that seems to be connected to Nott. 

"I felt it a few minutes ago," Nott went on, twisting her head and tugging at her skin to try and see it herself. "I had Johanna check and she saw it. You have to have it too, right?" 

Caleb hesitated for a moment. He'd been so focused on his reading that he hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary until Nott showed up. Thinking for a moment, something tugged his hand toward his chest...

Nott seemed to notice his movements and quickly tugged at the front of his shirt, peeking inside.

"You do have it!" She exclaimed, tugging it down and pressing her finger over where his collarbone could be seen clearly underneath his skin. "Right-"

Caleb and Nott both inhaled sharply as bursts of warmth filled both of them. For Caleb, it bloomed in his chest and filled the cavity like water. Nott's hand hovered over the mark on her shoulder, her cheeks becoming slightly darker green. 

Both were lost in a moment of almost shock before the door to the library opened, startling the two of them. Vesper poked her head in, her face alit on a grin. 

"Guys! Someone's coming over soon and Mom and Dad think she's like you guys!"

•••

Whitestone was _so pretty_.

Those were the first thoughts that entered Jester's mind when she and Scanlan pop up in the middle of the bustling town. Whitestone was _beautiful_ in a way that Jes has only thought of when she was in Nicodranas. The roads rose and fell with homes lined along them to fit the naturally hilly terrain. There were so many people, people in singles, in pairs, couples, groups, and families. There were shops and carts and blue sky peeking out of grey clouds. It was a little chilly, Jester realized a moment later than most would, but that didn't stop the warmth that filled her as she looked about. 

"Welcome to Whitestone," Scanlan opened his hands and gestured to their surroundings. 

People clearly knew Scanlan here. Children pointed at the gnome with grins and stares of adoration lingered on him in ways that Jester could only relate to when she thought of her mother or the Traveller. He smiled and waved, leading her through the winding roads almost without even looking, like he knew this town better than he knew himself. 

Soon, a large tree came into view. It was... Radiant. Radiant was the only word Jester could think of to describe it. It was huge with blooming leaves despite the chill and small blossoms nestled on the branches. Behind the tree was a palace. It looked like it was out of a fairy tale, which was the only way Jester knew castles to exist. It towered over the other buildings, pristine and glittering in the barely-there sunlight. 

Jester was _entranced_.

"Home of the de Rolos," Scanlan announced as they walked up the steps leading to the large doors. The guards stationed outside gave Scanlan a nod and looked warily at Jester, but let them pass without a fuss. Scanlan couldn't have been lying when he said he was friends with the Lord and his wife. "And your... New friends, I think. I haven't met them personally myself, but I think you guys will get along."

"I can get along with anyone," Jester said breezily. "This place is _huge_."

"You get used to it," Scanlan said to her before someone called his name from elsewhere.

Jester looked over to see an elven woman, dark hair in a braid and dressed in the prettiest, almost hunting style clothing she has ever seen. She hugged Scanlan when she got close enough, kneeling down to embrace him properly without lifting him up to do so. Jester had picked him up to hug him once and she wasn't sure if he liked it, even if he didn't outright tell her to stop. 

"It's so good to see you, darling," the woman's voice was like silk, smooth and accented in a way that Jester has yet to hear. "You must come over more often. The twins miss you, you know." When the woman's eyes found Jester, her smile became softer than a friendly grin she had been giving Scanlan. "And this is Jester?"

"Yes! Hi, my name is Jester, it's nice to meet you!" Jester stuck her hand out eagerly, missing the way the woman seemed to recoil from her in surprise before regaining her composure and shaking her hand. "You're _so_ pretty, and your house is _beautiful_, are you like a princess?" 

"She's always like this," Scanlan said lightheartedly, being ignored by Jester as the elven woman stood up to greet her properly.

"Why thank you, darling," The woman patted Jester's hand with a smile. "I'm Vex'ahlia, but you can call me Vex. My husband Percival is doing some... Boring Lord business with his sister upstairs, so why don't I just show you the reason you're here."

"It's to become like Vox Machina, right?" The tiefling chirped, pulling up the sleeves of her shirt. It revealed that she had two marks, one on the creases of each elbow. On the right, there was a book with a quill poking out of it. On the left was a crossbow with a yellow lily sprouting where a bolt would be. "Do Book Quill and Lily Bolt really live here?"

"Uh..." Vex glanced at Scanlan, who shrugged.

"She started calling whoever's on the other end of those marks that. She says it's better than not having a name for them at all. I think it's cute... Arrow... Feather."

"No," Vex shook her head, trying to hide a smile. "Don't... Even. Rune... Purple hand... Rune Hand. Bigby's Rune."

Scanlan gave her a look with a teasing smirk before clapped his hands dramatically. "So! Let's introduce the kids, huh?" 

"Uh- before we do!" Vex grabbed Scanlan's shoulder before waving over a stray servant. "Miss, can you please bring Jester here to the library? You can just drop her off there, she's here to speak with Mr. Caleb and Miss Nott. Scanlan, darling, I need to talk to you real quick."

Jester was too excited to meet whoever 'Caleb and Nott' could be to worry about why Vex and Scanlan needed to talk so seemingly urgently. She half wondered if these people were older than her, judging by how Vex addressed them. 

She was led down a maze of hallways, trying not to get dizzy from the miles and miles of identical corridors. Thankfully the servant clearly knew where she was going. Soon enough they arrived at two doors, which opened to reveal what was very much a library. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the edges with old books and tomes, all organized and time-worn. There were tables set up for research, one of which was clearly taken advantage of by a lone figure sitting with a pile of books.

"Mr. Caleb?" The servant called out from the doorway. When this Caleb didn't respond, the woman simply gestured toward him helplessly. "He's always in here, but Miss Nott and the young masters and mistresses go in to spend time with him often so I don't believe he'll mind you."

"Okay, thank you so much!" Jester immediately skipped over to the table, slowing to a more quiet walk as she drew closer.

"Mr. Caleb" was not what she expected. For one, she was pretty sure they were around the same age. His fiery red hair seemed to be in the process of getting longer, most likely due to pure indifference, seeing that the length was the only thing special about it. It didn't look particularly soft or extremely well-taken care of, so he definitely wasn't growing it out to look good. 

He was wearing really nice clothes, though they seemed pretty simple compared to the pure wealth this castle held. Then again, Vex wasn't all that dressed up either. 

Jester grinned softly to herself when she realized she had gotten a foot or so behind him without the boy noticing. So, she did as anyone with this opportunity would do and pounced him, throwing her weight onto him while wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders. 

"CAAAAY-LEB!" 

"Caleb" yelped and neatly hopped out of his seat, sending Jester into a fit of giggles as he struggled to turn around and face her when she was nearly gripping his entire upper body. 

"_Was_-" he sputtered in a language Jester couldn't understand, which was weird because he was human, and managed to get stand enough so that Jester was nearly hanging off of him while he turned to look at her better. "Who..." His voice was clearly accented, something that caught Jester's attention quickly. "Who are you?"

Looking up at him, meeting his blue eyes, Jester gave a softer smile.

"You really smell nice... I'm Jester." 

•••

Jester was an... Interesting individual, Caleb will admit. She was one of the most colorful people he's ever seen, personally, both in looks and personality. She had sparkling violet eyes and a bright grin as she chattered away with him, touching his hair, pulling at his clothes, flipping through his books, almost like she was an alien who's never seen anything that would be considered remotely normal for an Exandrian. 

Her name was Jester, or Jes, or Jessie- _or anything you want to call me, really_ \- and she was _so_ happy to meet him. She liked his hair, she liked his clothes, she liked the large tomes he had planted next to him for the last few hours. She was... A lot. A lot of words, a lot of movement, a lot of smiles. She pulled out a book full of drawings of cartoonish characters and dicks. She talked about the Traveller who is _so totally awesome_ and how Caleb should _totally_ talk to him. It took Caleb a moment to realize he hadn't spoken to her once outside of the original "Who are you". That was almost twenty minutes ago. It felt almost normal.

The door opened and broke off Jester's tangent about how she's always wanted a puppy. There was a soft squeak and the rattling of glass. Caleb turned to see Nott, holding a tray of snacks and water with her head ducked down. 

"C-Cay-Cay, who's that?" Nott rasped, the tray continuing to rattle as her hands shook. 

Caleb hopped up and crossed the room, graciously taking the food from her so she could tug the hood of the cloak she wore further over her head. "Thank you, _Nottchen_. This is, ah... This is Jester. She's, uh-" 

"Glitter brush!" Jester piped up, hurrying around the table and rushing up to them. "The paintbrush is my mark- are you okay?"

Nott had skittered up next to Caleb when Jester came closer, trying to hide behind his leg. Caleb winced and glanced down at his friend before looking back up at the tiefling. 

"She is a bit... Shy," Caleb offered. "Jester, this is my friend Nott. She is... Ah... Lily Bolt, as you said."

"Oh, you _are_ here, hi! Don't be scared!" Jester swatted down to get closer to Nott's height. "I'm not that scary, I just look funny."

"S-She's not a child," Caleb started to walk back to the table, Nott following closely behind. "She's..." He glanced down at the smaller figure beside him. "Can I tell? She's meant to be important to us, I think she'll understand."

Nott gave a small nod after a long pause and Caleb turned back to Jester. "She is a goblin. She's not dangerous, she means no harm, but she is what she is and most people aren't very... Kind."

"Oh, that's okay!" Jester stood and came up to Nott again, this time not faltering when the goblin ducked behind Caleb's leg. "You don't have to worry about being a goblin, Nott! People are real mean to tieflings too! We can protect each other from the assholes!"

Nott peeked out warily, her golden eyes narrowed. "You... You really don't care?"

"No, not at all! I actually think you're very pretty. Are those flowers?" 

Nott's hand reached and touched the braid peeking out from under her hood. A soft smile spread across her face. "Yeah, they are. They're really nice, right?"

"Did you do that yourself?"

"N-No, Johanna did it for me. Sh-She's Vex and Percy's daughter."

"Aww, that's so sweet! Do you think she'll do my hair too?"

Caleb managed to slip away without Nott paying him much mind. The girls talked, the conversation becoming more and more excited and animated as time went on. He wasn't completely sure what they were talking about, but Jester eventually got Nott to pull down her hood so the tiefling could admire the braid filled with flowers and ribbon in its full glory. 

Caleb sat down with his books again but ended up just... Watching them for a little while longer. They talked and talked, grinning and waving their hands, all the shyness Nott usually shows around strangers completely gone and replaced as if Jester had been her sister and knew how to draw another version of the goblin out. It was shocking, really. It was sweet. They were fast friends. Caleb... Wasn't really surprised, for whatever reason.

Caleb turned back to his reading after watching Jester settle down to draw Nott. Maybe... Maybe this would be alright.


	13. Twelve - Attached

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jester is fitting in well with the de Rolos. Caleb begins to learn a tad more about whatever bond has sparked with Nott, as surprising as it may be. And all three of them learn just a bit more about the chaos that was Vox Machina and those who make up their family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for nearly disappearing on you guys! Writer's block is terrible. And sorry if this isn't all that great since I wrote a little more than half of it before stopping and not touching it for months ^^; I just wanted to get it out of the way so we could continue! 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy and thanks for all the love!

Jester fit in with the De Rolo children quite well. Vesper thought she was fun, the twins _adored_ her, Greg joined in on the mischief on occasion and Jo just _loved_ playing Dress Up with her. 

The surprising thing was how much she managed to bring out of Nott. Jester stayed two days under the De Rolo roof and all of Greg's flutes and other wind instruments were filled with glue. Caleb only knew Nott had something to do with it because she had been hiding her, quite literally now, sticky fingers when Greg went raging in search of his siblings. Jester had burst into the room to hide, pulling Nott underneath Caleb's bed with her. The girls giggled like children in a way that Caleb's never heard from Nott. It was different but... She was happy. Caleb wanted to thank Jester for that, even if he found handwritten pages of erotica stuffed in between the pages of his books. 

Caleb was glad to see Ollie and Jester getting along as well. He didn't know for sure if he'd shown his hidden form to the other tiefling, but Jester eagerly answered questions that seemed a little more personal now that Caleb knew where Ollie was coming from. 

Jester fit in well. She didn't seem to mind Scanlan, the gnome who'd she'd apparently been staying with for a little while, leaving quite quickly after dropping her off without much of a goodbye. She spent her days either with the children or in town, bringing back little trinkets she managed to buy (or snatch if Nott went out with her). She apparently also went down to eat with the rest of the noble family during meals, their laughter being audible from the room Nott and Caleb shared a floor above the dining room.

"You can go join them," Caleb offered one night when Nott paused her eating to stare almost... Longingly at the door towards the noise. 

Nott flushed when she realized she'd been noticed, but quickly shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Truly, it wouldn't hurt my feelings or anything-"

"I want to be here with you, Caleb," Nott interrupted him with a certainty in her voice that startled him. 

It took Caleb a moment to even process those words, let alone respond. "... Why? You... You always want to be near me. I'm not saying I do not enjoy the company but... But why do you... Care? We haven't known each other for very long yet you spend all your time with me, you trust me, you don't mind my... Sleeping habits. Why?"

Nott seemed to take a little longer than Caleb to respond to that. It frightened him a bit. Maybe this is when she realized he was right. Nott had no reason to care about him so much. Jester was so much more fun and energetic than Caleb could ever be. Nott clearly loved being with Jester, a bolder, more carefree version of herself coming out rather than a quiet, meek little thing that was glued to Caleb's hip. 

She should spend more time with Jester...

"Go-" Caleb began to urge Nott on, trying to convince her to go join those who made her happier when Nott cut her off again.

"You're my friend, Caleb," she said. "At least I... I want you to be. You saved me and brought me here. You kept me safe while we were out in the town and you never get angry at me for my itches or the pranks I pull with Jester. You're so _nice_, Caleb. Before you, it'd been a long time since anyone had been nice to me. Not everyone would want to help a goblin but you did without question. You helped me and you're always so nice to me and... And I wanted to repay that. You care about me, so I care about you."

Caleb swallowed hard. Hearing those words left something terribly bitter in his mouth. He wasn't _any_ of these things. He wasn't _nice_, he wasn't _caring_. He was a murderer and sweet Nott just didn't know that yet. What would she do if she did know? Would that warmth in her golden eyes fade into something colder? Would her small body, a grounding presence Caleb had grown used to, retreat and soon disappear from the room completely? Would Jester mind Nott sharing a bed with her? She probably wouldn't.

"Thank you, _Nottchen_," he said, trying to press his words out while his throat felt like it was swelling shut, making his words come out painfully choked and rasped. "You do not have to do that, though. My kindness doesn't come with a price. You are a nice girl, that's all. I have no reason to be cruel."

"Neither does everyone else out there," Nott shrugged, gesturing weakly toward the window of the room, toward the city. "But they are. And you weren't. Everyone in this castle is nice, but you were the first. And I love you for that."

Something warm bloomed in Caleb's chest that didn't come from Jester's mark. He immediately tried to crush it down, tried to hide it. He couldn't get attached to her. He'd stay here for a little while longer and get back on his feet. He was still a child, technically. He couldn't get far on his own. But he'll manage. He'll figure something out and he'll... Fix his mistake _somehow_. He had to. 

"_Danke_..." Caleb murmured still. "I... I'm very glad I was almost mugged."

Nott grinned her teeth filled grin and it only made Caleb feel warmer. 

Damn... He was getting attached.

•••

"They're coming, they're coming!" 

Vesper had been bouncing off the walls all day. Caleb laid on his bed, his book laying over his face as he listened to the other girl bounce and hurry around the room. He felt Nott curled at his legs. 

"Who's coming again?" Nott's strained voice asked, sounding like she was missing out on beauty sleep because of Vesper's newfound energy. 

"My cousins!" Vesper gushed. "Well, not my _blood_ cousins, I don't have any of those. But they're the only family I have that's my age! And we used to hang out so much more often when we were younger!"

"Whose children are they that make them cousins to you?" Caleb lifted his book enough to be sure his voice wasn't muffled by the pages. 

"My aunt Zahra and uncle Kashaw," She chirped back. "They're tieflings."

"Zahra and Kashaw are?"

"No, only Auntie is. The twins are tieflings though. I guess all tieflings have tiefling kids." 

Then Vesper went on speaking about them. Twin boys her cousins were. The elder twin was named Light, (a virtue name that some tieflings chose for themselves Vesper said) and the younger was named Kaizire (his given name that he decided to keep).

Vesper continued to rant about her cousins, about how much of a relief it was to have family close to her own age, about how the Hydris family was slowly helping Ollie with his insecurities. They didn't come by often, seeing that they all lived in Vasselheim, Issylra, but it was always fun when they did. She spoke about how Vox Machina found out about her Aunt Zahra's pregnancy after the Vecna fight, then mentioned how her mother was pregnant with her as well during that fight, though she didn't know it at the time.

"Can you imagine if something had gone wrong?" She said. "I don't even know how I survived. Mum didn't even notice any sort of sickness until, like, two days _after_ the fight!" 

Vesper continued to ramble for a while before there was a knock at the door. Not ducked behind Caleb, allowing Vesper to open the door. There was a quick conversation before Vesper dipped back into the room, said "They're here!" before slipping out and shutting the door behind her.

"Well, I guess we're old news now," Nott joked as she curled up by Caleb's shoulder, pulling out a silver coin she'd probably swiped somewhere in the town. 

"They are her family, I don't blame her for being excited," Caleb lifted his book again so he could get back to reading it. 

The two thought that this would be the end of today's energy. They'd spend the rest of it lounging and eating whenever the meals are cooked.

They were wrong.

Not ten minutes after Vesper left did she come back, with two figures in tow. 

"Look! I had to get myself new best friends because you guys are never around," Vesper sassed the two tieflings who she'd dragged into the room by their wrists.

Nott ducked underneath the covers as Caleb sat up to awkwardly greet Vesper's famous cousins.

The one of the right was a peachy almost orange-colored tiefling with one solid white eye and the other a solid yellow. His long white hair was braided back and his horns curled back against his head. He was rolling his eyes fondly at Vesper, who continued to rant about how Caleb was a better friend than they were since he actually hung out with her. "Once you find a way to teleport across oceans," the odd eyed twin interrupted her. "Then come complain about me not coming to visit more often." 

"Maybe get off your bum and learn some magic like your parents, Light, so you can figure it out yourself," Vesper shot back with a joking grin. 

"Well, that's no fair!" 

The twin of the left side was the one looking at Caleb. He was a shade darker than his brother with solid blue eyes, brown hair braided in a matching style, his horns a bit more curled at the ends. He cocked his head curiously at the bewildered looking redhead along with the strange looking lump underneath the sheets beside him. 

"So, you've been stealing our Vessie from us?" The blue eyed tiefling said, his grin taking any possible edge from the words. "I've got to say, she could do a bit better."

Ouch?

"Shut up, Kai, it's not like that!" Vesper smacked him on the arm, Kaizire trying and failing to duck away from her with a laugh. "You're such a creep." 

"Caleb, is it, then?" Light stepped forward while Vesper was still swinging at his brother. "We heard a lot about you during the five minutes we've been here. That may just be Ves and her ability to speak five miles an hour-"

Light flinched as she backhanded his shoulder, retaliating by shoving her into Kaizire. "-but! I'm sure you know that all too well if you've truly been here for a while."

Caleb, having probably looked ridiculous just staring at this scene, shifted a bit so he was sitting a bit more upright. "_Ja_, I suppose. It's alright, though, I am used to it."

"Yeah, that's because of something called _adaptation_," Kaizire said, arms nearly crushing Vesper to his chest and his chin resting on top of her head. "Survival of the fittest. You either learn or perish."

"You're both assholes," Vesper grumbled from her place with her arms wrapped around Kaizire in return. "I forgot how awful you both are. I regret being excited to see you."

"Rude."

Caleb let himself chuckle a bit at thought, but then thought for a moment. Maybe he was just used to Vesper because, out of the three that now stayed here, he'd been with her the longest. Though, remembering his introduction with Jester, he figured maybe he was just fit to understand naturally eager people. Speaking - or lack their of on his end- with Jester felt natural. Again, maybe it's just because of Vesper.

Speaking of Jester...

"Where is Jester?" Caleb turned and addressed the hidden Nott. She peered out and glared at him, almost as if him talking to her was the only thing that was giving her hiding spot away. "Maybe she'll enjoy speaking with other tieflings." 

"You guys adopted a tiefling here to? How kind," Light turned to Vesper and teased.

"What can I say? My parents have a soft spot for them," Vesper shoved away from Kaizire and grabbed Light's arm again. "Come on, she's probably with the twins. Bye Caleb! Bye Nott!"

And just like that, she and the tiefling twins were gone again. Nott waited a beat before emerging, nervously glancing at the door before looking to Caleb again. 

"I do not think you needed to hide from them," Caleb offered as Nott settled next to him again.

"You can never be too sure with people," Nott grumbled, taking out her coin again. 

"Alright... Are you Itchy?"

"... A little."

"Let's go out, then," Caleb set his book to the side, knowing he'll remember the page number he was on without needing a book mark. Nott visibly brightened and hurried to find her mask as Caleb pulled his coat on. 

He kept promising himself he wouldn't get too attached to these people. But a pang of slight jealousy ran through him as he saw Vesper embracing those boys and it scared him a bit. He also couldn't say he didn't enjoy the way Nott's face lit up when he proposed they go out and calm her twitchy hands. Remembering Jester's chatter made him realize how quiet the room suddenly was. That's what made him want to go outside in the first place.

"You should introduce yourself to them eventually, _mäuschen_," Caleb said, mainly to fill the air with some sound, as Nott scurried up and took his hand.__

_ __ _

"Maybe," was all Nott replied with before she pulled him out the room.

_ __ _

Ah, well. They'll figure it out later, then.

_ __ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Kahra boys are my own OCs since, as far as I know, we know really nothing about Zahra and Kashaw's children. This is my take on them, mainly inspired by the fact that Zahra (possibly jokingly) mentioned having twins run in her family.


End file.
